"Catherine Jo (Fuller) Elgin was born in the Naval Hospital in Portsmouth, Virginia on January 5, 1952. She was born premature and weighed less than five pounds. She was not able to leave the hospital until she put on weight, so she was placed in an incubator for a period of three to four weeks. Cathy's parents, Glenn M. Fuller and mother, Dorothy N. Fuller were living in Norfolk, Virginia at the time of her birth.

Cathy moved to California with her parents and her brother Gary in 1952 to China Lake, a naval test station, for a period of one to two months before they moved to Long Beach. In Long Beach they lived in naval housing on Mira Mar Ave. until her parents purchased their first home on Snowden Avenue.

Cathy has a brother, Gary L. Fuller of Benicia, CA and a sister Glenda M. Dugan of Irvine, CA.

Cathy attended Minnie Gant Elementary School, Stanford Jr. High School, and Millikan High School all within Long Beach Unified School District.

In High School Cathy was very involved in extracurricular activities. She was a Flag Girl and performed at the football games and was in Aenon, a girls club on campus.

At the age of thirteen while Cathy was a student at Stanford Jr. High School, her mother passed away from a cerebral hemorrhage.

After graduating from high school, Cathy began work at General Telephone Co. as a directory assistance operator. She worked there from the age of eighteen to twenty-two.

On September 29, 1973 Cathy wed Mark D. Elgin. They had their first child, a son Travis, born on January 29, 1975. Their next child was a daughter, Monica, born on April 11, 1977. And last but not least, another daughter, Melinda was born to them on August 2, 1981.

In the early years before children, Mark and Cathy enjoyed playing tennis and going to the beach. When the children came, tennis was put on hold, and they enjoyed spending quality family time with their children. Cathy was very involved in her children's lives from the start. She took them to "Mommy and Me" classes at the park and enrolled them in various activities as they grew older. Going to Alamitos Bay and Mother's Beach was a summer must. When her grandson Daniel arrived, she continued partaking in the same pleasures and outings with him as she did with her own children.

Some of Cathy's hobbies were making jewelry, crocheting, making blankets, gardening, and listening to country music. Cathy loved spending time with her dear friend Jeannie Foelber, and on occasion they would listen to Jeannie's husband's band. A favorite vacation spot of Cathy's was Laughlin, Nevada. She enjoyed the drive there and every aspect that Laughlin had to offer.

Being a "stay-at-home" mom was something Cathy relished and was fortunate to do. She re-entered the work force when her   youngest was in elementary school. She began work in the ABC School District as a Special Education Instructional Assistant at Kennedy Elementary School and Pat Nixon Elementary as an Instructional Assistant, Before School Day Care, and Literacy Specialist. Cathy worked at Pat Nixon Elementary for nineteen years until her diagnosis of cancer on December 22, 2005."

If you have any memories or photos of Cathy, please post them in the comments below.

https://www.presstelegram.com/obituaries/catherine-fuller-elgin-ca/