MUSCATINE, Iowa – On Monday, December 26th, 2022, Catherine Marie Kramer passed peacefully at the age of 66.

Visitation will be held from 11:00 a.m. until 12:00 p.m. on Friday, December 30, 2022, at the Ralph J. Wittich-Riley-Freers Funeral Home. There will be a time for sharing memories from 12:00 p.m. until 2:00 p.m. following the visitation at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to It Takes A Village Animal Rescue. Online condolences can be left at wittichfuneralhome.com.

Cathy was born on April 19, 1956, in Terra Haute, Indiana, the daughter of Michael and Ruth Stapleton Heazeltine.

Cathy lived a rich, multi-faceted life. She served in the Armed Forces and was stationed in Augsburg, West Germany from 1975 to 1978. She then went on to pursue Chemistry at Purdue University, earning her bachelor’s degree in Food Science in 1985. She spent many years in the field of food science before taking an opportunity to specialize in business and marketing within the food science field. She earned her MBA from St. Ambrose in 2001. In 2007 she decided it was time to pursue a lifelong dream of teaching. She got a Master’s in Education and began teaching science at Muscatine High School. She felt the role as a teacher was first one of nurturing a space for acceptance and support. Without those things, she saw it was impossible to be engaged in high school Biology. She especially cared for students who struggled the most with school, whose personal challenges went unnoticed, and students who seemed to have everything working against them. She also equally loved teaching her fellow teachers and had a special place in her heart for each student teacher she worked with. She sponsored the Gay Straight Alliance at the high school from 2013 until she retired in 2021. Her impact on the community was tremendous.

Cathy was treasured for her wit, determination, and occasional irreverence. She loved The Mona Lisa, corn decor, cooking, and knitting, using power tools, and spending time with her children. She was very proud of the fact she could tie a roast.

Those left to honor her memory include her daughter, Anna Kramer and her fiancée, Taylor Williams; her two brothers, Dan and Andy Heazeltine; and her dog, Sid.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her daughter, Caroline Kramer; and her brother Patrick Heazeltine.