Cathy Suddarth

As a member of the WGM support staff, retiree Cathy Suddarth was known for her excellent work ethic and her way of bringing fun and laughter wherever she went.

Cathy was born in 1942 near Somerset, Indiana, not too far from WGM headquarters in Marion. Cathy grew up attending a Methodist church and married her husband, Myrl, in 1960. The same year, she took junior secretarial classes at Indiana Business College. She worked briefly at the Honeywell Center in Wabash before starting work at American Security Corporation in Marion in 1961.

One year later, she had her first son, Michael. In 1964, her second son, Jeffrey, was born. She stayed home and took care of her boys for several years before coming to work at WGM in 1974.

“It was a good environment to work in,” Cathy said. “The people were great.”

Cathy made some close friends at WGM. Joyce Benbow, fellow support staff member, recalled Cathy’s sense of humor. “Cathy was a fun person. She brought laughter and she liked to tease people. When anybody new came, she would tell them they weren’t part of the family until they brought in chocolate. A lot of people took her seriously.”

Cathy worked in the Accounting Department and also in the Media Department—where she helped missionaries with their media presentations about their ministry—before transferring to Donor Services, where she receipted donations.

“She was a lot of fun to work with,” said Twila Moore, who worked with Cathy for 10 years. “She was always joking around with people. But she could also be serious, and she was a really good friend.”

Some of Cathy’s hijinks included writing messages in the snow and making snow angels outside the Accounting Department windows. She started a tradition of bringing in treats to share with the staff on Fridays. For her 50th birthday, she bought the car of her dreams: a bright red convertible.

As much as she enjoyed WGM, Cathy dreamed of retiring to the Smoky Mountains. She retired in 2002, and she and Myrl moved to Del Rio, Tennessee. For 13 years, they enjoyed a rustic home on top of a mountain. In 2015, they returned to Sweetser, Indiana, where they were closer to their children and five grandchildren until Cathy's passing on October 29, 2021.