Catherine Liner

Catherine (“Cathy”) Douglas Mattocks Liner passed away peacefully on July 5, 2025, at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community in Raleigh. Cathy lived a remarkable life exemplified by her perseverance and service to others. She was truly an inspiration to all those who knew her well, and to many others who only knew her story.

Cathy was born on January 7, 1947, in Duplin County, North Carolina, to Randolph and Delia Mattocks. The third of four children, she graduated from Wallace-Rose Hill High School. She then graduated from Greensboro College with a degree in Mathematics, followed by a master’s degree from UNC-Greensboro. She married and settled in Clemmons, a suburb of Winston-Salem, where she began her career working for Westinghouse as one of the only female employees in the office. She worked for years for Booke and Company (later Aon then Amvescap), where she managed defined contribution retirement plans, trained other team members, and was a beloved mainstay of the office.

Through the 1980s and early 90s, as a single mother, Cathy devoted her life to raising her two sons, Marc and Jason. She changed careers and became a real estate agent to give her more flexible time to be present for her boys. However, she contracted an auto-immune disease, Myasthenia Gravis, about which very little was known at the time. She endured significant physical symptoms and major surgery, but eventually was able to manage the condition that would be with her for the rest of her life. Unrelated, Cathy also lost hearing in both of her ears. She received bilateral cochlear implants in the relatively early days of the technology, which allowed her to hear and communicate.

Cathy’s greatest joy in life came later when she became “Nana” to her six grandsons. She absolutely loved to watch them play sports, play games and do puzzles with them, quiz them about their interests, give and receive lots of hugs and kisses, and so much more. She was often on the road to Raleigh and Charlotte to visit with them.

In November 2018, Cathy suffered a fall down a flight of stairs that nearly took her life, but resulted in a spinal cord injury that left her paralyzed below her chest. She began a lengthy recovery process followed by many (chronicled at CaringBridge.org), during which she moved to an assisted living facility in Raleigh and endured multiple surgeries and complications. Although her back was broken, her spirit was not. Through some of the most difficult circumstances imaginable, Cathy defined perseverance. She became known as a cheerful, sharp-minded, vocal advocate for herself and her fellow residents. With the help of her wheelchair and handicap van, she regained her mobility and was always thrilled to visit with her grandsons at their house, sporting events, restaurants, bowling alleys, etc. She also enjoyed listening to and supporting her friends and family, in person when possible and on the phone when not. Despite having moved away from Winston-Salem, she continued for years to publish the newsletter for its community Newcomers & Neighbors group. Cathy’s close relationship with God and Jesus Christ was unwavering and always helped carry her through the darkest times; she is undoubtedly enjoying being with them now.

Cathy is survived by her sons Marc (Sabrina) and Jason (Melissa) and her dear grandsons, Chase, Jack, Graham, Anthony, Milo, and Seve, as well as her brother, George (Debbie). She was preceded in death by her mother and father and siblings Randy and Beth. She leaves behind numerous friends and family members whom she cared about deeply, and vice versa.

Driven by her lifelong desire to help others, Cathy chose to donate her body to the Genesis program at the Medical Education and Research Institute (MERI) in Memphis, Tennessee. A celebration of life will be held at 3:00 pm on August, 17, 2025 at Springmoor Life Care Retirement Community (1500 Sawmill Road, Raleigh, NC). In memory of Cathy, the family asks that any donations be made to the Myasthenia Gravis Foundation of America and/or the North Carolina Spinal Cord Injury Association, both of which were very meaningful to her.