Mary Agnes Ahern was born at home on the family farm in rural Moody County, South Dakota, on May 7, 1932. She was the 4th of 6 children born to Francis & Vangie Ahern. Mary attended the Durland country school & Egan High School and was a cheerleader for all four years.

Working in the cafeteria while attending Northern State Teacher’s College, Mary met John William (Bill) Catey. Bill had returned to Northern after serving in the Army. He loved to dance & was Catholic-two things that were on the top of her list. They married on August 22, 1955 in Brookings, SD. Their honeymoon was spent moving to Marysville, WA.

Mary taught in SD country schools for several years before getting married. In WA she taught in both the Marysville and Edmonds School Districts, pausing several years to raise her

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