Catherine Hewitt, PT (PT ’70)

Catherine O. Hewitt (Ourada), 71, died peacefully on Saturday August 24, 2019. She was born Catherine Rose Ourada November 24, 1947 on the banks of Plum Creek, in Walnut Grove, to Stephen and Margaret (Titus) Ourada. When she was eight, Cathy moved to Mankato, where she attended Mankato State College. She eventually earned a degree in physical therapy from the Mayo Clinic where she would spend the early part of her career. In 1969 Cathy married Peter O’Brien and had a daughter, Louise. Soon thereafter she and Peter divorced and in 1985 Cathy married Robert Hewitt. They had a son, Richard, while living in South Minneapolis where they spent a year building a home on the shores of Beebe Lake near Hanover, MN. In 1993, the family moved to Duluth where they lived for almost two decades until the pull of the north woods led them to permanently move to their homestead overlooking Caribou Lake near Lutsen, MN Throughout her life, Cathy loved making and keeping personal connections.

Before social networks, she was quick to offer friend suggestions, reveling in the human web that permeates this world and binds us together. She wandered the country as a travelling physical therapist, making relationships and spreading healing across Minnesota and Wisconsin. In July of 2016, Cathy was admitted to the U of M hospital where she was diagnosed with late stage ovarian cancer. During this time she spent many months staying in Saint Paul at Louise’s home where she could be close to the hospital, spend time with her children, and hear the bustle of her grandkids. Cathy was a gypsy - there is Bohemian blood in the Ourada line - and so she wandered, exploring the wonderment of creation. She seemed to drift along at ease in life’s unpredictable currents, and she met its headwinds with grace. Cathy is survived by her husband Robert L Hewitt and two children, Louise (Joel) Rogness and Richard L Hewitt; her brother, Titus S Ourada; her sisters, Joyce (Bill) Wisbey, Mary Lichtenberg (Doug Zahnow), Gloria Kern (John); and her grandchildren, Norah, Maisie, and Elliot Rogness. She was preceded in death by her parents Stephen J in 2003 and Margaret I in 2004 plus three brothers Raymond in 2011, Philip in 1993 and Dennis in 1982. A Celebration of Life service will be held Sat Sept 7, 2019 at Gloria Dei Lutheran Church, 219 North 6th Av E, Duluth, MN 55805 – visitation at 10am, service at 11am followed with a luncheon. Memorials in loving memory of Cathy Hewitt may be made to: Lutsen Evangelical Lutheran Church, Memorial Fund, 5307 Hwy 61, PO Box 145, Lutsen, MN 55612 Our Lady of Peace Hospice, Memorial fund, 2076 St. Anthony Av, St Paul, Mn 55104. Electronic donations can be made at: ourladyofpeacemn.org.