Cathleen Barbara Liegl was born September 9th, 1960 in upstate New York, at Kenmore Mercy Hospital the youngest of 6 kids toFrances and John Liegl. She moved to Texas with her mother in her teens and attended Arlington High School where she met some of her greatest friends that became family.. She attended UT Arlington and would graduate with a degree in Early Childhood Education or as she would call it “spoiling babies.”

Cathleen met the love of her life in 1985 while working at a grocery store. She would tell you that a persistent paramedic kept coming through her line and asking her out, and wouldn’t take no for an answer. He would tell you, he bought the ring before she said “yes” to the first date. My father, Les, was consistent if anything, after multiple excuses, including “I have two small daughters”, Les convinced her to let him take her  AND the girls for Pizza at Mama’s pizza. One spilled Dr Pepper and a million laughs later, they married December 13th, 1986 with two feisty flower girls, surrounded by love at St Mary’s.

Our mother loved FIERCELY, she never met a stranger, and no one EVER starved on her watch. Her favorite thing to do (other than spoiling her grand babies) was to cook and bake for those she loved, or strangers, or umpires, or people who just dropped in. When our hearts were broken, it was a Tippins pie and laughter to heal our hearts, matso ball soup for a cold, and almond puff.  And when Dad would frustrate mom, she would bake his “not so” favorite oatmeal raisin cookies.

Cathy was a mother, a daughter, a sister, an aunt, a friend, a teacher, but she will tell you her most important role was Nana - Or Nina - Or Moogy - Or Nonnie… Sierra, Tristian, Ben, Madi Fae, Kenna, Mason, Lilly, and Damien, wherever you are, know that you have the most amazing guardian angel watching over you and everything you do. YOU were her pride and joy, her reason to cause trouble, her new love for army green,  her reason for waking up on cold days for 5ks with your cross country team, for buying 25 pairs of pink poms, her reason to be a “mom” again at 55, for learning about rainbows, and for doing the HARD things that make life for YOU better. 

She left behind not just children, grandchildren, friends and family, but a legacy of acceptance, kindness, friendship, and unwavering love and devotion. 

As you sit around your tables, sharing a meal that she would have been ecstatic to share with you, remember her favorite phrase "When you eat together, You're family" or as she would say "Mangia!"