Catherine Powers

Catherine W. Powers, 74, passed away peacefully on September 22, 2021 with family at her side.
Catherine was born August 12, 1947 in Ann Arbor, MI, the second of four children of Emily M. Powers and John Weed Powers.
An avid reader her entire life, Catherine attended Hollins College and Cedar Crest College, and earned a Master’s Degree in library science from the University of Pittsburgh. She immediately landed a job at Digital Equipment Corporation as a researcher, including a stint at its London-based facility. While at Digital, Catherine was on the vanguard of the transition of information retrieval from hard copy to digital sources. She also favored her parents with a personal computer with an early 10MB hard drive, which liberated its users from the annoying need to insert floppy disks in and out of the computer constantly.
Upon her return to the U.S., Catherine worked for an executive placement firm in Philadelphia, followed by several years as a development specialist at Park Vista in Youngstown. Catherine was motivated to move to Youngstown in 2004 to support her aging parents. She was preceded in death by her father in 2012, and supported her mother to live independently thereafter until her death at age 99 earlier this year.
Catherine was also active in several local clubs and organizations. She was an active member of the Youngstown Symphony Guild, served as a Trustee of the Butler Institute of American Art, oversaw awards from the Edward W. Powers Charitable Fund, and supported Fellows Riverside Gardens at Mill Creek MetroPark. Among her friends and acquaintances, Catherine was well-known as a fierce advocate for animal welfare. While facilitating rescues and adoptions, she successfully resisted the temptation to have more than three pets at any one time.
Friends will be received Saturday, Oct 2, 2021 from 10:00 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. at the Cunningham-Becker Funeral Home in Poland. A memorial service celebrating Catherine's life will follow at 11:00 a.m. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that memorial gifts be made to Butler Institute of American Art and Animal Charity of Ohio.