Ruthann Catt Douglas (Evans)

Ruthann Evans Catt Douglas, age 84, of Delta, passed away peacefully with her family by her side at the San Juan Care Center in Montrose on June 29, 2019. Ruthann’s sweet, quiet, hardworking spirit was known to all of her friends and family.
Ruthann was born on the family homestead in Norwood of her paternal grandparents, Otto and Muriel Cornforth Evans, pioneers from Ouray on May 25, 1935. She was the first child of Rodney and Ruth Carver Evans. A sister, Jeannie and a brother, Rodney were also born on the family homestead. Another sister, Nancy was born in Uravan and died in Norwood at the age of 5 months. Ruthann spent her earliest years with her brother and sister in Norwood enjoying living near her grandparents, the Evans’ and her maternal grandmother, Ivy Carver and her Aunt Fern.
The family moved to Uravan on Christmas Day, 1939, settling in Tent Town, which is now the Uravan Ballpark, and living in two tents connected together. They lived in Tent Town while Ruthann’s father worked in the uranium mines for the Manhattan Project. After the passing of Nancy, the family moved up to Club Mesa, above Uravan, and lived in an old miner’s cabin. Ruthann and her siblings lived and played in the pinons and juniper of the mesa. She talked of walking up and down the mill hill to school down in Uravan, quite a trek as we think about it today. Ruthann said it was boom and bust years even then, when the mines opened up, they moved to Uravan, when they closed, they moved back to Norwood. Ruthann’s family lived in Uravan during the war years and her memories of that time were very vivid.
The family eventually moved into a one bedroom house in F block in Uravan and that is the home where Ruthann spent her growing up years. She graduated from the 8th grade at the school in Uravan and graduated from Nucla High School in 1953. She married Bill Catt in November of 1953 at the family home in Uravan and they made their home in a small trailer at Homer Woods.
Bill and Ruthann had 4 children. Dean was born in 1954 at the Uravan Clinic and walked the Homer Woods road to kindergarten alone every day. Baby Joan Ellen was born in 1955 in the clinic, a little too early, and died there after 3 days. She is buried in the Norwood Cemetery. Jane was born in 1956 in St. Mary’s Hospital and Sharon was born in the Uravan Clinic in 1959. The Catt children were fortunate to live in Uravan and enjoy the carefree childhood of that community. The grown Catt children are now passionate about preserving the history of Uravan.
Bill and Ruthann were the second to last to leave Uravan when the town was being demolished and buried and they made a new home in Bedrock. They loved their lives in Uravan and always missed it. In November 1989, after 35 years of marriage Bill died at their home in Bedrock. Ruthann grew a beautiful yard and garden where ever she was planted and will be remembered for her beautiful flowers which she loved.
Ruthann married Reverend Earl Douglas in April of 1990 and they were married for 29 years, making their home in Delta. They pastored the Maranatha Fellowship in Delta for 27 years and Ruthann loved her church family. Their little farm in Delta was also blessed with her green thumb and she had a beautiful yard and flowers there.
The last two months of Ruthann’s life were spent in Nucla with her daughters, Jane and Sharon and their families. Her great granddaughters read to her and held her hand. Her grandchildren stopped in to tell her how much they loved her. She spent Mother’s Day and her 84th birthday with her family gathered around her. Ruthann was a loving mother, grandmother, sister, daughter and friend. She loved her family, her friends and her animals. She will be greatly missed, but her family is content in knowing she is holding her baby daughter, Joan, and baby sister, Nancy, and walking through the flower gardens in Heaven with Bill.
Ruthann will be remembered by her children Dean and Cathy Catt, Jane and Gayland Thompson and Sharon and Duane Johannsen. Her 8 grandchildren were her joy, Wendy (Rick) Boone, Heidi (Zane) Williams, Kristi Schultz, Brandi Thompson, Cody (Shayna) Thompson, Logan (Jamie) Thompson, Aimee (Christopher) Tooker and Josh (Traciena) Johannsen. She loved her great grandchildren, Madison and Megan Boone, Jedidiah and Analise Williams, Sadie, Seth, and Spencer Schultz, Austin and Ashlee Geddings, Kaylee Rutherford and Xander Thompson, Devyn VanHook and Ellexis and Bohdan Tooker, Allden, McKenna, Allysah, Cyenna, and Jaycee Johannsen. This past year Sadie gave Ruthann her first great, great grandson, Kato Barton. She is also survived by her sister, Jeannie (Harry) Roatcap, brother, Rodney (Kathryn) Evans, her aunt, Fern Carver Speed and many nephews, nieces and cousins. Preceding her in death were her husband Bill, daughter Joan, sister Nancy, her parents Rodney and Ruth Evans and a nephew, Brad Evans.
Ruthann is survived by her husband, Earl Douglas of the family home in Delta. She enjoyed as her own, his sons, Michael, Dennis, Robert and Ronald and their wives. She loved their grandchildren, Tucker, Lyndsey, Tate, Austyn, Travis and Erica and their great grandchildren Kaylee, Colin, James, Jasper, David, Charlotte and Emily.
Funeral Services will be held by her children at 11 am on Monday, July 8, 2019 at New Hope Church, 135 Crystal Drive, Naturita, Colorado. Lunch will follow at the church. A private burial for Ruthann will be held later as she is laid to rest next to Bill in the Paradox Cemetery. Memorial Donations may be made to Hope West in Montrose.