It is with profound sadness and deep love that we share the passing of Cathy Gruber, a remarkable person who radiated joy, love and tenderness. In 1961 her parents brought her home on their 25th anniversary. As the youngest of 7 (by 10 years!) she was greeted with open arms and cherished her whole life.

At a time when opportunities were not abundant for those with Down Syndrome, her parents worked tirelessly to create opportunities for her to grow, develop a rich life, participate in society and thrive. Cathy was proud of her many accomplishments, which were all hard won. Her whole life, she was an "ace" tryer.

Cathy was one of the first students to be mainstreamed into Cincinnati schools, beginning as a preschooler at Mercy Montessori all the way to graduating from Madeira High School. Oh, she was so proud of her school colors! Cathy had a gift for remembering directions anywhere she went – she was our GPS before mobile phones! She loved sports, from softball at Pleasant Ridge Park, to bowling with Special Olympics, swimming, croquet and miniature golf. Along with playing sports, she was a true fan, cheering on her beloved Bengals and the Reds. She got to attend many Reds games and was honored on her 60th birthday by being on their Jumbotron. She was especially pleased to get a personal message from Reds manager David Bell who happened to share her birthday.

Cathy absolutely loved to sing and was so proud to be a soprano – something she discovered in Glee Club. She relished hitting and holding those high notes! She took great pride in knowing Latin because she could sing "Adeste Fidelis" instead of "O Come All Ye Faithful". Growing up with a player piano, she had a lifelong love of the old tunes from the piano rolls, as well as the Lawrence Welk shows. Singing those old songs continued to be a delight for her in her final days. She sang in her parish choir at Nativity. She volunteered at their festival and was delighted when asked to model at a fashion show there. Her interest in music continued with learning the keyboard and playing with the band at Melodic Connections.

Cathy was an avid artist, making color-filled cards and signs for friends and family, often creating them months in advance.  She never forgot a birthday or anniversary and had an elaborate filing system to keep them organized. She also was an avid list maker - be it birthdays, menus, anniversaries, wish lists or names for new babies that were about to join the family – she had a list for everything.

Cathy always had fun dancing – square dancing, special needs proms or ballroom dancing at AMarika dance studio. She loved Word Search puzzles and was quite good at them! Watching 'Let's Make a Deal' and 'The Price Is Right' were daily events, often yelling out answers at the screen.

In her 63 years, Cathy enjoyed a lot of travel. She was a star wherever she went. She got to dance with the Captain on a Caribbean cruise, got her picture taken at the Alamo, learned hula dancing in Hawaii and swooned at Elvis at Graceland.

Cathy loved living independently at Geier Apartments. She was there for many years where staff and residents became like second family to her. When COVID closed Geier to outsiders, her niece Molly took her in and cared for her until her passing.

Cathy made friends her whole life long and always remembered their names. Cathy's life was marked by her gifts and enormous capacity to love. She was kind and compassionate, and found pleasure in simple things. She tried hard at everything she did without questioning. She was earnest, faithful and accepting – a blessing to all who knew her.

Cathy is now reunited with those who preceded her in death – her parents, Len and Mary Gruber, sister-in-law Chris Gruber, brother-in-law Jim Roedersheimer, and brother Jack Gruber. Cathy is survived by siblings Dick Gruber, Susan (Jack) Green, Jan Roedersheimer, Carol (Jack) O'Toole, Claudia Gruber and Mike (Leslie) Gruber. She also leaves behind many loving nieces, nephews, grand-nieces and grand-nephews. And countless friends who helped along the way. She truly had a blessed life and we who love her were tremendously blessed with knowing her.

Visitation, Friday, February 7th 11:00 a.m., Church of the Nativity of Our Lord. Funeral Mass to follow at 12:00p.m.

In lieu of flowers, Cathy's family is requesting donations be made in her name to the Timothy Freeman MD Center for Developmental Disabilities , LADD Inc or Pregnancy Center Plus .