Catherine Nelson

Blue Sky Cremation Service

Catherine Awsumb Nelson, age 56, died peacefully at home on March 25, 2024, surrounded by her family. Her death followed a brief but intense battle with cancer, which she approached with customary grace and equanimity.
Catherine was born in Rome, Georgia, on March 15, 1968, daughter of the late George Wells Awsumb and Elizabeth Breytspraak Awsumb. She graduated from Yale University and then earned a doctorate in educational policy from the University of North Carolina - Chapel Hill, where she also met her husband. She was a voracious reader and never stopped learning.
Catherine lived in many locations around the country, including Boston, Massachusetts, Chapel Hill, North Carolina, Southwest Michigan, and Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania, before happily settling down in California. In her work as an educational consultant, she was lucky to be able to maintain clients all over the country, which allowed her to squeeze in visits with friends and family whenever she could. She and her family loved to travel, immersing themselves in the culture of every place they visited. When home in California she enjoyed spending time with her husband and sons, walking or driving the coastline, often visiting her favorite elephant seals, supporting the local arts, and sharing meals with her husband and sons.
Throughout her adult life Catherine gave generously of her time to a variety of causes, most recently serving on the board of an education nonprofit in Oxnard, providing college application support to first generation students in Los Angeles, reading to elementary students in San Luis Obispo, and many others.  She was particularly passionate about the power of literacy and getting books in the hands of readers of all ages.  She recently joined SLO’s Monday club, assuming the role of Vice President and (true to form) starting a well-regarded book club, and was an active member of the Unitarian Universalists San Luis Obispo.
She is survived by her husband, Christopher Dale Nelson, and her two sons, James (Jay) Awsumb Nelson and Graham George Nelson, and two sisters, Elizabeth Van Court Awsumb (Jennilyn) of Memphis, Tennessee, and Kristin Awsumb Liu (Jared) of Wallingford, Connecticut, many loving aunts, uncles, and cousins, and countless friends.
Funeral services for Catherine will be held at 2pm on Tuesday, April 2, at the Unitarian Universalists of San Luis Obispo, CA (2201 Lawton Avenue). The family will receive friends at a reception at the church following the service.
In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations be made to Habitat for Humanity.

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Catherine Nelson Obituary | Blue Sky Cremation Service