Mary Catherine Rathbun (née Ferrell) peacefully passed away in Louisville, Kentucky on January 29, 2026. She was 99 years old.

Born at St. Mary’s Hospital in Huntington, West Virginia on May 27, 1926, to Peter and Margaret (Griffin) Ferrell. She was preceded in death by her husband of 66 yrs., Donald H. Rathbun and her grandson Daniel A. Shumay. She was also preceded in death by her seven siblings: Evelyn Kesig, Pete Ferrell, Jim Ferrell, Joe Ferrell, Peggy Shortridge, Regina Demming, and Michael Ferrell. As predicted, she would be the last leaf to fall from the family tree.

She was the devoted mother of six children: Stephen (Antoinette) Rathbun, Timothy (Chris) Rathbun, Mary M. Stuart (Joseph), Daniel (Susan) Rathbun, Donna Shumay (Donald) and Catherine Butler (Jeff). She was the loving grandmother of nineteen, great-grandmother of twenty-seven and great-great grandmother of one.

Mary Catherine along with her husband Don, had a deep devotion to the Catholic faith. Together, they established a loving home where example was teacher, humor was appreciated, and faith was paramount.

After receiving her RN diploma in 1946 from St. Mary’s Nursing School in Huntington, West Virginia, Mary Catherine worked for 45 years in her profession in the states of West Virginia, Ohio, and Virginia. Her genuine care and concern for all her patients showed the great love she had for nursing.

After her retirement in 1991, she became more active at Sacred Heart Parish in Winchester, Va (where she and Don settled from Ohio in 1977). She was a member of the choir; helped to establish and expand the Legion of Mary; worked with the immigrant outreach and the prison apostolate, along with many other parish activities.

A year after the death of her beloved husband, Mary Catherine moved to Louisville, Kentucky to be near her daughter, Cathy, and her family. Not to be slowed down, she became an active resident of the St. Joseph Center and participated in daily Mass, rosary, book club, painting, dances, resident council, and other activities.

Mary Catherine will always be remembered for her hard work and devotion to family and the community. But most of all, for her unwavering faith and sincere love of Our Lord, Jesus Christ and His Blessed Mother.

A Mass of Christian burial will be held at Sacred Heart of Jesus Church in Winchester, Virginia, on March 24, 2026, at 11am. Prior to Mass (between 10am and 10:45am) family and friends will gather in the narthex of the church.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to

Little Sisters of the Poor Louisville
St. Joseph’s Home
15 Audubon Plaza Drive
Louisville, KY 40217-1318