It is overwhelming beyond measure to write about the life of Dr. Catherine Lydia Edgell, so I will start at the beginning. Catherine was born on July 15, 1988 in Marquette, Michigan. Unlike most newborns, Catherine required no stimulus in order to take her first breath. She did so silently, with her beautiful and enormous eyes wide open. The extraordinary intellect that was evident in all her accomplishments was apparent at the moment of her birth, as those eyes began exploring her environment and recording and analyzing everything. She seemed relieved to finally be born so that she could get on with life.

Catherine observed and appreciated the beauty in everything. Her gift for dance blossomed at an early age, and the artistry she developed was a joy to behold. She also became an accomplished cellist. She appreciated the beauty in learning, the logic and symmetry in math, the orderly explanation of the world around her through science, and the expression of emotion through music. But the thing she excelled at above all else was an effortless ability to communicate and make every person she encountered feel special and heard. Throughout her life, she made lasting, caring connections with hundreds of people who all felt like she was their best friend.

She attended Cranbrook Academy in Detroit, Michigan and later attended the University of Michigan, graduating in 2010 with a degree in cellular and molecular biology. Seeking to combine her scientific acumen with her artistic and human skills, she chose a career in medicine. She remained in her beloved Detroit, attending Wayne State University School of Medicine. There she met her roommate and soulmate Missy, and they journeyed through the next four years as inseparable friends. As graduation became near, she narrowed her focus to prepare for the next step, residency. In her residency application she wrote, “I am a dancer. Dancers possess many of the same attributes as doctors: creativity, passion, dedication and a solid foundation of training. Both are confident, capable soloists yet work well with others and bring harmony to an ensemble. Dancers are both ‘thinkers’ and ‘doers’ who thrive on the duality. Just as a choreography is more than a simple succession of movements, a patient must be regarded as a WHOLE person, not just one organ system or pathological process. This integral, interactive approach to care allows the physician to make a real difference in a patient’s life, which is what I seek to do.”

Faced with the difficult decision of where she’d like to do her residency, in typical Cate fashion she attended about twice the normal number of interviews. She matched with her first choice for residency, Oregon Health and Science University. She had fallen in love with both Portland and the residency program director, Sima Desai. Exploring Portland’s beautiful parks and forests, her life-long love of and thirst for nature was fulfilled. She quickly developed an enormous number of new friends, but one became more special to her than anyone ever before – the man who was to be her husband. She met Tony at the coffee shop at OHSU while he was completing his fellowship in Critical Care Medicine. To use a trite phrase, the rest is history.

Cate traveled widely and loved learning about history and architecture. She especially enjoyed her visit to Israel and Jordan. She and Tony visited Europe after she finished residency and she loved learning about culinary traditions and history. She also dearly loved traveling to the Bahamas with her family every year.

Cate loved her family and friends with a fierce, enduring passion and loyalty. Her dog Teddy was her pride and joy. She also loved vegan cooking and teaching others about nutrition, hiking in the gorgeous Pacific Northwest, yoga, cycling, barre, Pilates, sunshine, beaches and French fashion. Catherine’s fashion sense, personal style, and elegance was worthy of a Vogue Magazine feature. Like everything else in her life, she dressed with sophistication, flair, confidence, and the utmost attention to detail. She was loving and giving beyond measure, both in life and in death. She donated her organs, so that five other people might have life. Although her passing is like a black hole, a total eclipse of the sun, those of us who were fortunate enough to know her will carry her radiance within us forever. 

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