Catherine Andrews

Catherine Andrews, a long time resident of Hillsboro, died of natural causes on January 4, 2006 at the home of her daughter, Christina Andrews, in Fort Worth, Texas. Catherine was born in Waco, Texas on June 7, 1915. She was the only child of two exceptional people, Gus and Angelica Andrews, who had immigrated to the USA from Greece. Her father founded the Andrews Caf which was nationally known for its fine food and personalized service. It became a central gathering place in Hillsboro for 55 years not only for locals, but for state and national politicians, famous individuals and celebrities from all areas. Catherine was a multi-talented individual. By the age of seven she was embroidering by hand, making her dolls? clothes on a sewing machine and designing doll furniture and building those designs out of cardboard. As she grew older, Catherine exhibited artistic abilities in apparel by designing and making a lot of her own clothes. She had a flair for interior decorating and in later years she remodeled and redesigned the homestead. She possessed a natural ability for languages becoming fluent in three languages, Greek, Spanish and English. Her mother was a lay chanter in the Church and she worked with Catherine to develop her voice. They would spend many hours together singing both religious, operatic and popular songs. A Hillsboro High School and Hillsboro Junior College graduate, she pursued her talents in public speaking, music and voice by furthering her education at Baylor University. Catherine?s work history was varied giving her a broad business background, from retail sales, to bookkeeping, to alterations, to food and bakery preparation and serving at the Army Air Corp Service Clubs, to teaching Spanish to soldiers during World War II. Catherine had one child, a daughter named Christina. While Christina was in school, Catherine was active in PTA. As Program Chairman of that organization she put her talents to work on creating PTA Founder's Day scenery for their anniversary celebration. She made six foot profiles on stands of each of the three Founders, Alice McLellan Birney, Phoebe Apperson Hearst and Alva Hudson Smith of the PTA and made a life sized Red School House out of cardboard with plastic windows and a movable door. For twelve years, Catherine was a teacher?s dream parent serving as a Room Mother, making the classroom Valentine boxes, and regularly transporting a carload of children to school and sports activities. During those same school years Catherine took Christina to dance lessons at the prestigious Edith James School of Dance in Highland Park, Dallas and designed and made all of her recital costumes. A devoted daughter, Catherine cared for both her parents in a vigilant and tireless manner. She enabled them to live their final years in their home even though they each eventually became totally incapacitated before their deaths. Catherine?s mother suffered from Parkinson?s disease for over 25 years and she made specially designed gowns for her ease in dressing. She dedicated herself to enhancing their lives in every way possible thereby allowing them to maintain a high quality of life throughout their final years. The restaurant business was in Catherine's blood. She knew it from the ground up. Upon inheriting her mother's interest in the restaurant, she became an owner and partner of Andrews Cafe. As such she was one of the early female business owners in Hillsboro. When Andrews Cafe closed in l969 as a result of the sale of the building to the Hillsboro State Bank, Catherine single-handedly inventoried the Cafe assets and prepared it for auction. At the auction one of the surprise big ticket items were giant sized decorative Easter Eggs which Catherine had designed and decorated for Easter displays. Catherine had a number of hobbies. She would target practice with the 22Gauge rifle which her father gave her and she was a dead-eyed shot. Boxes of various sizes and shapes that she decorated with a myriad of materials and colorful ribbons, tapes and cords delighted friends as gifts to be reused for storing jewelry and pieces of silver. Catherine collected a who's who of famous people's autographs, a valuable treasure of some of our best known celebrities. To name a few, Elvis Presley, Robert Taylor, with whom she danced at the Crystal Ballroom in the Baker Hotel in Dallas, Bob Hope, Greer Garson, with whom she became friendly and corresponded, Dean Martin, Eva Gabor, with whom she shared a cup of coffee at the Beverly Hills Hotel in California and many others too numerous to mention. Catherine and her mother hold the distinction of being held up at gun point by the infamous Bonnie and Clyde and their sidekick, Raymond Hamilton, who stole their brand new automobile. Traveling was another hobby. She traveled throughout Central and South America to Panama, Honduras, Dominican Republic and Cuba before it was closed to tourists. In the later years, Catherine divided her time between traveling and historic preservation. She traveled extensively throughout the Holy Land, Egypt to St. Catherine's Monastery, Turkey and Greece, the home of her ancestors. Catherine also accompanied her daughter on trips throughout the USA. During the Ronald Reagan Presidency, she attended a White House Reception by invitation and personally met Nancy and President Ronald Reagan. Catherine loved Hillsboro and was dedicated to preserving its history as well as the part in which her family contributed. She donated the funds for the restoration of a room in the Cell Block Museum dedicated to the memory of her mother and father which displays the memorabilia of Andrews Cafe which she preserved, restored and donated from her private collection. In her last year, Catherine was able to live at her home and the home of her daughter, with the assistance of her daughter, Christina, a beloved CNA, Vickie Schultz, whom she loving called ?B? and a VNA RN, Lu Ann Greene, whom she called ?little flower?. She called these homes her ?loving sanctuary?. Even though Catherine was small in stature, she had a dynamic personality. She was a tower of strength to all those she loved and she had an innate ability to live life to the fullest, finding enjoyment in the simplest aspects of living. She was a beautiful lady, with large brown magnetic eyes, a flawless complexion which contributed to her youthful appearance, an infectious smile and engaging laughter. Her sense of humor delighted everyone who knew her. She was equally beautiful inside. She always looked for positive attributes in others and complemented them. She voiced her love for others on a regular basis, thereby brightening the days of all who came in contact with her and who assisted her. Her courage in handling the challenges of her life, both physical and emotional, and her sustained faith in God were an inspiration to all who knew her. Her spirit was never broken and her caring for others never waning. Often she commented that she had lived a full life and was at peace with herself. She did not want her loved ones to grieve when she died because she viewed death as a celebration of life on earth and the beginning of a journey to be joined with her Lord and Savior and reunited with her mother and father in Heaven for an everlasting life. She blessed us with a legacy of exemplary behavior in how to live a meaningful life. She was a member of the Hill County Historical Commission, Hill County Genealogical Society, the Hill County Museum Association, the Hillsboro Heritage League, the Hillsboro Cemetery Association, and the Friends of the Hillsboro City Library. Catherine was a generous contributor to the Greek Orthodox Churches in Waco, Fort Worth, Dallas and Tenos, Greece. She endowed a scholarship in her name at Hill College. Catherine was preceded in death by her parents, Gus and Angelica Eleftheriou Andrews and is survived by her beloved daughter and best friend, Christina Andrews of Fort Worth, Texas, her beloved ?B?, Vickie Schultz of Fort Worth, Texas, her ?Little Flower?, beloved cousins and extended family and a host of friends. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to: Catherine Andrews Endowed Scholarship Fund, Hill College, P. O. Box 619, Hillsboro, Texas 76645 or Gus, Angelica & Catherine Andrews Perpetual Memorial Fund, St. Nicholas Greek Church, 617 N. Seventeenth Street, Waco, Texas 76707 or Hill County Museum Inc., P. O. Box 555, Hillsboro, Texas 76645 or Hillsboro Cemetery Association, P. O . Box 924, Hillsboro, Texas 76645 or The Visiting Nurses Association of Texas, 1440 West Mockingbird Lane, Suite 500, Dallas, Texas 75247-4929.