Obituary
Cathy Szynskie, 55, of Omaha, passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by loved ones on August 15, 2024. After being diagnosed with colon cancer three years and seven months ago, she made it her mission to fight for more time with her family and friends and she succeeded.
Cathy made every moment count and experienced great milestones with her four children over the past few years. Her oldest daughter, Abby, turned 30 and they began attending all the Broadway shows at the Orpheum together in 2021. Frankie was engaged and married to her husband, Ian, who Cathy commonly drove home from North High events, starting when they were 15. She was able to see him after he successfully defended his doctorate in engineering at the University of Virginia on August 10th. She watched Joe navigate the Air Force through his duty assignments in Italy, Honduras and Colorado Springs as a firefighter and now veteran. She was also able to see Joe engaged to his fiance, Kaylee in July and enjoy his recent move back to Omaha. Her youngest daughter, Jessie graduated from Iowa State in December and began work at an engineering firm in Des Moines, where she has already contributed to a number of civil engineering projects in the Midwest. Jessie also served as one of Cathy’s best hiking companions during her time in Omaha.
Cathy traveled to Virginia, Washington D.C., North Carolina, Utah, Arizona, Colorado, and more while going through treatment. Usually unhooking from chemo right before leaving to visit her children. Cathy hiked hundreds of miles in her travels and at local parks, her favorite being Hitchcock where she found peace throughout her treatment. One of the things she loved most was teaching exercise classes to cancer survivors at Methodist Hospital, where she impacted thousands through her work as a recreational therapist there. Stuart Scott, an ESPN analyst who battled cancer, said “you don’t lose to cancer when you die, you beat cancer by how you live, why you live, and the manner in which you live.” Cathy can be proud of how she lived - she inspired us all. She endured a lot - but she also experienced a lot and made many memories in the last three and a half years. Most of that she did for her family, but some of that she did for her friends. And all loved her for it.
Cathryn Jean Galles was born on August 16, 1968 in LeMars, IA to Donna and Roger Galles. She was the second born of six siblings. Cathy lived a life dedicated to her family, faith, health, and wellness. She often said that her four children were her greatest accomplishments.
She welcomed everyone into her home with open arms and offered her love and guidance to any who needed her. Cathy was known for being social and spent her free time hiking, attending and hosting parties, and traveling. In particular, Cathy loved to host murder mystery parties, where she and her guests would wear elaborate costumes and play roles, with the goal of uncovering a culprit. Cathy valued education and was a lifetime learner and educator. She graduated from Saint Mary’s High School in 1986 then attended the College of Saint Mary in Omaha, NE. Cathy graduated with a degree in Recreational Therapy in 1990, which she used at Methodist Hospital for over 20 years. She was passionate about her patients and supported a wide array of activities at different times including the therapy dog program, HELP volunteer program, stroke chat, and many other initiatives. She also established a number of programs to aid in making fitness accessible to all people through her work at Methodist and the YMCA.
She is survived by her children: Abby, Frankie (Ian), Joseph (Kaylee), Jessica (Cristian), her husband: Francis, her parents: Donna and Roger, her siblings: Mary (John), Margaret, Steven (Tonya), Daniel (Cassandra), Beth (Derek), Andrew, and her dog: Sadie.
The family is grateful for anyone who sent an encouraging text, email, card, or note to Cathy throughout the past few years. She curated a large group of friends that supported and lifted her up each day of this journey. The piles of cards, sweet notes, delivered meals, and spontaneous gift drops will never be forgotten. Thank you all for helping our mom live life to the fullest over the past three and a half years.
