Catherine Crouch

Catherine Crouch died on July 16, 2003 at 4:50 A.M. at Fair Acres Nursing Home in Du Quoin of complications from old age.  She was 95 years old.  Born to Godfrey and Helen Knetzger on August 6, 1907, she was one of four children.  Her brothers, Leonard, George, and Charles, all preceded her in death.  She is remembered by all who knew her for her sweet disposition and her kind and loving ways.
Catherine attended Sacred Heart School and graduated from Du Quoin High School in 1925.  She began working for Herman Leyman, a local attorney.  She later moved to Mt. Vernon and then to Chicago where she worked for a mortgage company.  While in Mt. Vernon, she met J. N. "Nick" Crouch, whom she married on October 16, 1941.  Nick set up Crouch Electric Sales in Du Quoin and they eventually bought a house on Walnut Street.  Catherine and Nick raised three daughters - Mary Kay of Fountain Valley, CA, Carole of San Antonio, TX, and Sandy of Du Quoin, IL.
For a number of years, Catherine remained a homemaker and was well-known for winning blue and red ribbons at the Du Quoin State Fair for her cakes, jams, jellies, and other homemade goods.  She also had a lovely voice and was often asked to sing at weddings at Sacred Heart Church.  An avid bowler, she played on a team that won many local and state tournaments.
In 1959, she returned to work, first as a receptionist for the Du Quoin Evening Call and then as a caseworker for the Department of Public Aid until she retired in 1972.  
She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church, Catholic Daughters, and Beta Sigma Phi Sorority.
Catherine is survived by her daughters and four grandchildren: Ursula Bohen, and Jim, Leslie, and Ross Kowzan.  Her husband and one grandson preceded her in death.  
Funeral services were at 10:00 A.M., Friday, July 18, 2003 at Sacred Heart Church in Du Quoin with Father Bert Iffert officiating.
Friends called from 5 to 8 P.M., Thursday at the Searby Funeral Home in Du Quoin.
Interment was in the Sacred Heart Cemetery at Du Quoin.
Friends may make memorials to Sacred Heart School Endowment Fund.
