Obituary of Catherine Anne Muzeen

It is with profound sadness that we announce the passing of Catherine Anne Muzeen. Cathy passed peacefully on the morning of March 7th, after a brief, hard-fought battle with cancer. Cathy is survived by her husband Bob Bettner; her children, Jennifer and Jonathon (Emily); her brother, Rick (Patti); and her beloved pets. Cathy pursued a degree in social work and an education certification at the University of Manitoba, and worked as a social worker, public school teacher, and program officer with the Women’s Directorate before joining Red River College as an instructor. Throughout the course of her career as an educator, she encouraged and uplifted thousands of students, many of whom were new Canadians, Indigenous, or otherwise underrepresented at the postsecondary level. She believed in the purpose of her work with her whole being, particularly through the ACCESS and Southern Nursing programs at Red River College in the fields of nursing and business administration. During her career of over 30 years at Red River College, Catherine took great pride and joy in her work, enjoyed the respect and friendship of her colleagues, and worked passionately with and for her students. First, foremost, and always, Cathy was an educator. In 1978, Cathy met her husband, Bob. They built a life together, raising two beautiful children while cultivating successful careers, and were partners in retirement. Through the years, family was always what was most important to Cathy. She was fiercely proud of her children, Jennifer and Jonathon, and she worked tirelessly to help and support them in all their endeavours. Cathy’s guidance and influence have helped make them the people they are today. Cathy loved animals of every type. She had a keen eye for wildlife, and would often be the first to spot bears, deer, moose, foxes, eagles, owls, ducks, and birds. Our home was a veritable menagerie of cats that she would occasionally fall in love with and bring home from the local Pet Valu. She also adored her Old English Sheepdogs, which Cathy and Bob would show on weekends as a longstanding hobby. Cathy’s favourite place in the entire world was the family cottage in Lake of the Woods. She spent 64 summers there, beginning when she was a child at the lake with her mother and father and brother. As an adult, she shaped the cottage into our family retreat, which she carefully and painstakingly decorated, landscaped, and maintained with her husband and children. The lake was a place where Cathy would recharge and relax with her family, and it was a place where we have many fond memories of our time with her. Cathy was our rock, and we feel her absence acutely. At Cathy’s request, there will be no funeral service. In lieu of flowers, donations in Cathy’s memory may be made to the Winnipeg Humane Society.