Cathleen "Cat" Mary Cruz Obituary (1955 - 2016)

CATHLEEN "CAT" M. CRUZ, 60, Fort Yates, North Dakota, passed away peacefully Friday, January 15, 2016, at Sanford Health, Bismarck. A Memorial Service will be held at 6:00 PM, Wednesday, January 20, 2016, at DaWise-Perry Funeral Services, Mandan, North Dakota. Cathleen was born November 23, 1955, at Albuquerque, New Mexico. Cat was an enrolled member of Ohkay Owingeh Pueblo (Place of the Strong People). She worked as a Federal Employee for the Bureau of Indian Affairs for 15 plus years in the Department of the Interior. She served as Budget Officer in the Minneapolis area and previously as a Budget Analyst for the Southwest Regional Office in Albuquerque. She also worked for the Southern Pueblos Agency and the National Indian Health Board (NIHB). Cat enjoyed many things, but the joy of her life were her two grandbabies Isis Rain, and Adonis Bodhi. She loved gardening, refurbishing antiques, and making salsa. Cat loved to laugh and make everyone around her laugh. Her laughter and joy will be deeply missed. She is survived by her lifelong partner, Ed Grant; one son, Jude Killsplenty Cruz, Gilbert, Arizona; grandbabies, Isis and Adonis; sister, Lisa Lente; and nephew, Jeremy "Shug" Velardez. Cat was preceded in death by her mother, Mary Cruz Lente; grandparents, C.M. and Kate Cruz.