Cathy Jo Monroe
February 26, 1957 — February 22, 2022
Cathy Jo Monroe, 64, of Cedar Rapids, Iowa, passed away peacefully after a sudden illness on Tuesday, February 22, 2022, at St. Luke’s Hospice in Cedar Rapids.
Cathy was born on February 26, 1957, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of John C. Berge and Beverly Andrews. Cathy was a lifelong member of St. James United Methodist Church. She married the love of her life, Robert Monroe, on July 6, 1986. Cathy was lovingly known as, “Cathy Jo” and she lived life to its fullest. She spent her younger adult years raising “the sunshine of my life”, her daughter, Dawn. They, along with Robert, loved to go camping and spent many happy years surrounded by countless family and friends, singing by the campfires, boating on the river, laughing until the wee hours, and watching numerous sunrises and sunsets.
It’s almost impossible to capture the essence of this vibrant woman within a paragraph, and those that were blessed to have crossed paths with her, would readily agree; Cathy Jo lived life on her terms, and she was never afraid to dance like no one was watching. She was constantly on the go and quite the social butterfly, earning her the nickname, “Chatty Cathy”. But few could resist her presence and more often than not, envied her joy and spunk for life. She was also quite the “jack-of-all-trades”, whether she was framing a house, foreman of a construction crew, security officer with her father’s Two Star Detective Agency, cooking meals that literally fed hundreds, serving at her many churches including: Hope Matters at The Cowboy Church, The Sanctuary, and St. James, or simply spending a lazy Sunday playing with her great-grandsons that she absolutely adored. Cathy Jo’s most recent passion was serving with the Hope Matters Ministry, faithfully serving those less fortunate. She literally immersed herself serving and loving on others. Her van was rarely found empty these past few years as it was typically loaded to overflowing with food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, or blankets and she rarely missed an opportunity to serve wherever there was a need. All you had to do was call her and she came running. Cathy Jo was a spitfire of a lady that took no guff, but once you knew her heart, you couldn’t help but be drawn into her infectious energy and light.
Survivors include her best friend and husband, Robert Monroe; the “sunshine” of her life, daughter, Dawn (Jodnel) Jacques of Canton, Georgia; beloved dog, Trooper; siblings, Carole Jean (Dave) Stickley, John Carl (Bridget) Berge, Patty Magoon, Vera Stein, and Charlie Phillips; five grandchildren; and three great-grandsons.
She was preceded in death by her father, John Berge; stepmother, Katherine Berge; mother, Beverly Andrews; siblings, Gary Dean Andrews, Trish Andrews, Gloria Odekirk, Steven Andrews, and her much loved pups, Cubby and Coty.
Please join the family for an informal memory celebration at Trinity-St. James United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 3 – 5 p.m. at 1430 Ellis Blvd. NW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52405. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, assisted the family.
The family would like to extend their thanks to St. Luke’s Hospice for their care and compassion.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hope Matters at The Cowboy Church in Walford, Iowa.
Cathy was born on February 26, 1957, in Cedar Rapids, the daughter of John C. Berge and Beverly Andrews. Cathy was a lifelong member of St. James United Methodist Church. She married the love of her life, Robert Monroe, on July 6, 1986. Cathy was lovingly known as, “Cathy Jo” and she lived life to its fullest. She spent her younger adult years raising “the sunshine of my life”, her daughter, Dawn. They, along with Robert, loved to go camping and spent many happy years surrounded by countless family and friends, singing by the campfires, boating on the river, laughing until the wee hours, and watching numerous sunrises and sunsets.
It’s almost impossible to capture the essence of this vibrant woman within a paragraph, and those that were blessed to have crossed paths with her, would readily agree; Cathy Jo lived life on her terms, and she was never afraid to dance like no one was watching. She was constantly on the go and quite the social butterfly, earning her the nickname, “Chatty Cathy”. But few could resist her presence and more often than not, envied her joy and spunk for life. She was also quite the “jack-of-all-trades”, whether she was framing a house, foreman of a construction crew, security officer with her father’s Two Star Detective Agency, cooking meals that literally fed hundreds, serving at her many churches including: Hope Matters at The Cowboy Church, The Sanctuary, and St. James, or simply spending a lazy Sunday playing with her great-grandsons that she absolutely adored. Cathy Jo’s most recent passion was serving with the Hope Matters Ministry, faithfully serving those less fortunate. She literally immersed herself serving and loving on others. Her van was rarely found empty these past few years as it was typically loaded to overflowing with food, clothing, shoes, toiletries, or blankets and she rarely missed an opportunity to serve wherever there was a need. All you had to do was call her and she came running. Cathy Jo was a spitfire of a lady that took no guff, but once you knew her heart, you couldn’t help but be drawn into her infectious energy and light.
Survivors include her best friend and husband, Robert Monroe; the “sunshine” of her life, daughter, Dawn (Jodnel) Jacques of Canton, Georgia; beloved dog, Trooper; siblings, Carole Jean (Dave) Stickley, John Carl (Bridget) Berge, Patty Magoon, Vera Stein, and Charlie Phillips; five grandchildren; and three great-grandsons.
She was preceded in death by her father, John Berge; stepmother, Katherine Berge; mother, Beverly Andrews; siblings, Gary Dean Andrews, Trish Andrews, Gloria Odekirk, Steven Andrews, and her much loved pups, Cubby and Coty.
Please join the family for an informal memory celebration at Trinity-St. James United Methodist Church on Saturday, February 26, 2022, from 3 – 5 p.m. at 1430 Ellis Blvd. NW, Cedar Rapids, Iowa 52405. Murdoch-Linwood Funeral Home & Cremation Service, Cedar Rapids, assisted the family.
The family would like to extend their thanks to St. Luke’s Hospice for their care and compassion.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be sent to Hope Matters at The Cowboy Church in Walford, Iowa.
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