This post is from Cat's husband, Warren. It is with great sadness that I share this, but I know all of Cat's friends online would need to know.
After struggling for 15 years with extreme pain, and multiple chronic conditions, Cat could bear the burden no longer and took her own life Monday, April 19th.
We are all still reeling from the shock and loss. None of this seems real...she appeared to all of us to be doing better, little by little. But something in her fragile body was changed dramatically after her surgery in January. She was trying to be so strong for all the rest of our sakes, but only Cat knew how insurmountable it felt inside. But she is at peace now, and is with her Lord Jesus in her "Gardens of Heaven".
Please know how much Cat's online community meant to her. It gave her great joy to hear that you appreciated her beautiful photography. As her "real world" grew smaller with the pain, you all gave her sweet spirit freedom as she took images to share on her blog and Etsy store.
The photo above was taken at Easter, on one of her "good days" as we enjoyed some wonderful family time together. That is how we can remember her.
Funeral arrangements are still being made at this time, and you will understand that I cannot respond to emails for a long while. If you wish to inquire for the most current information, you can call:
DW Newcomer's Sons Funeral Home
913-451-1860
11200 Metcalf
Shawnee Mission, KS 66210
-Warren Ludwig
77 comments:
Blessings and prayers to you and yours...
I'm so very, very sorry for your loss.
What a devastating loss for you and your family. Your post demonstrates the love, empathy and respect you had for Cat. I enjoyed discovering her talents here and had many pleasant exchanges with her. I will miss her.
Unrelenting pain is so very difficult to bear. It must be a comfort to know she is finally, as you say, at peace.
Warren, I am truly and deeply saddened by this news, as well as for your loss. Please know that you, your family and of course, Cat are in my prayers.
May the peace and love of our Lord Jesus Christ be with you.
Steve Raley
Warren, you and the girls are in our thoughts. I will see you soon.
With Love,
Cheri & Lacy
Peace be with you in your hour of sadness.
Deepest sympathy ... she will be missed.
I'm so sorry for your loss...
Thank you, Warren, for letting us all know. Cat will be missed by us all here. Your lovely blog has touched me deeply.
Sue Templin
First Light Photography
I didn't get to know her that well. But I do remember her from some Etsy forums and always being so nice.
I'm so sorry surgery didn't bring back the life she missed. :(
I hope wherever she is now that she is healed and happy. She's already watching over her family.
My sincere condolences,
Marcela G
Dear Warren,
I'm sadden at hearing this news! I loved her photographs and hearing from her. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family!
Such sad news....my deepest sympathies go out to you and your family and all that were much closer to her than her online community. I greatly appreciated her photography and her presence on Etsy. She will be missed.
I am so very sorry for your loss...I didn't know Cat well, but it still feels like a huge blow to lose her. I hope she is at peace, and that you are able to find peace as well.
i am so very sorry for your loss.
So so very sorry :(
I am so very sorry to hear this. Thank you Warren for letting us know. Cat was so welcoming to me when I first joined the POE team and was always so friendly and a pleasure to know. Cat will be greatly missed by myself, and all of her POE team friends. My deepest sympathies to you and your familiy Warren.
Tracy xo
My deepest condolences to you and your family on the loss of the very talented and beloved Cat.
Terry
I just met Cat through your post and on the POE team blog. Her photos are wonderful, and I will keep you and your family in my prayers.
I am very sorry for your loss.
My condolences to you all. May your memories of the happy times together help you through this most difficult time.
Peace, Judi
So very sorry for you loss. I will miss Cat's posts and photos, she was special.
I sit writing this post in tears... of loss of such a wonderfully encouraging soul, and somewhat also of guilt. Guilt at the things I didn't say or didn't say well enough or frequently enough, I guess. She always had such positive and encouraging remarks to leave on my blog and those of others... I knew she was in pain but had no idea the struggles were such that they were.
I guess this hit me hard as I recall that I was one of her featured artists in one of her last posts, "Dreaming of the Sea." I had spent much of this past winter in a rather deep depression, despite my not wanting to really fully admit it. Cat's feature and post came at a wonderful time and provided a real pick-me-up when I couldn't seem to find the ways to pick myself up. I tried to, without going into too much detail, thank her in a way that was appropriate to what she gave me that day...
I really appreciated her eye for beauty (demonstrated so well in her photography) and was so honored that she included me in her daydreams of the soul-recharging powers of the water & the Sea-- something truly sacred to me.
I now find myself wishing I *had* said more... not that it could have removed her pain, just to let her feel "company in struggle." Chronic pain IS a really tough one though...
I very much hope she's now fully immersed in awe-inspiring beauty, delighting in it with the wonder and awe of the eyes of a child seeing something breath-taking for the first time.
And to her family, it is my sincere hope that your grief and loss yields way to happy memories, pride in her, and a sense of peace.
I am thinking about you and your family.
My heartfelt sympathy to you and your family, Warren.
Even though I never met Cat, or you, I was moved to tears to read this. I felt I knew her through her photography, and it is all the most poignant, and spiritual, to read her last post.
To think that one day she could run back to get her camera and capture the light, and the next day could be her last.
I am so sorry for your loss, for all your family's loss, and know that she is, indeed, at peace.
So sorry for your loss. I loved Cat's photography. She will be sorely missed.
warren~ i am so sorry. i deeply admired cat's talent, her generosity and was grateful for online friendship. my heart and prayers go out to you and your family. i will miss her.
karon
so so sorry for your loss! praying for you and your family!
My deepest sympathies and prayers for you, her family and friends throughout the internet world. Her gorgeous images live on....
Warren, I am so sorry for your loss. Peace be with you.
Cat will be missed, but we'll remember her beauty and her light and life through her work. My prayers are with you, Warren, and I know it took much courage and strength to post this sad news. I am so so sorry.
My deepest sympathy to you and your family. I will always remember Cat's tremendous talent and giving heart.
Warren,
I am so sorry for your loss, but I am glad Cat is no longer in pain. She had an eye for beauty and she will be missed by many whose lives she touched, including mine.
Warren, I am sad to read about the loss of your wife, Cat. I hope that she is at peace and that you and your family will find peace as well.
Thank you for taking this time to post on Cat's blog for us to know and please accept my deepest sympathy.
My heart goes out to Warren.
May Cat be free and pain and suffering. Lots of love to you at this time.
Suz
I am so sorry for your loss. Thanks so much for posting and letting us know.
Warren, please know that you are in our thoughts and prayers. We will always remember Cat through her beautiful work and her lovely and courageous spirit.
Mollie and Joe
Cat will be missed. She was always so kind. You can see her beautiful spirit in each of her wonderful images. My heart goes out to you and your family.
I'm so sorry for your loss. I hope knowing that she is no longer in pain brings you peace in this very difficult time.
Hello Warren, my thoughts and prayers are with you..I will miss Cat's presence and photos here on etsy..I appreciate your letting us know..
Cat: I hope that you have somehow- someway- found a peace and end to your pain. Cat's Family: thank you for sharing this with the rest of the world, and for allowing everyone to share in the beauty that was Cat's world through her lens. God Bless. Mary
My condolences to you and your family.
I am so sorry.
I am deeply sorry for your loss. Although I only knew Cat through her photography, she will be missed greatly. Your family is in my thoughts and prayers.
~Jaimee
My sincere condolences. I've always been a fan of Cat's work, and I know she will be missed by so many.
Jean
Warren, my deepest, deepest sympathies. I have long been fond of Cat and this news has affected me profoundly. I have several of Cat's photos and will forever cherish them.
I wish you and your family love and comfort. ~Jill
Warren and family, i'm so very sorry. This news has effected me deeply. When i had surgery a year ago and my cancer diagnosis, I didn't know Cat, yet, she reached out to me and sent me a lovely photograph and blank cards. I framed the photograph of the middle of a sunflower with a bee and it proudly hangs in my living room right by my front door.
We had been in touch in late March when i saw her shop closed. We were trying to help each other weather the storm and sharing information. Even though we never met, i held her near and dear in my heart. My blessings and prayers, thanks so much for having the strength to let us know. laura
THANK YOU to all that have made comments....it is NOT surprising to me that my mom touched so many people. She was a sweet sweet person who always put others first. I will take the interest in photography that I shared with her and keep taking pictures but with a new meaning now. Thank you again for your kind words...
Jenni (her eldest daughter)
i am so saddened by this. i am crying as i read that she is gone. she was such a special person and took the time out of her time to talk to me. i will miss her and all of the beautiful photography that she did. i will be thinking and praying for you and your family. i am just so so sad to hear this. i wish that i had said more to her because she always had such encouraging things to say. i will miss her so much. she was just so special.
diana from oklahoma
I send waves of the deepest sympathy and peace to all of you. Warren, thank you for the strength you have reached inward for to post this for us who knew her via the internet. I feel a heavy and penetrating loss at her passing and I can see her photos in my mind as I type this, all so beautiful, all so full of joy. She was that way as well and a valued and compassionate member of the Etsy Project Embrace Team. I/We will miss her and her graceful, caring and wondrous spirit. You are all in my thoughts and prayers, as is she.
Kristin
I am so very very sorry for your loss. My thoughts are with your and your family.
Dear Warren and family .. I am so very saddened to learn of Cat's passing. My heart goes out to you all, wishing that together you find strength for this difficult time. I met Cat in the etsy treasuries .. as i think many of us do .. she certainly shone through with her beautiful photography and gentle spirit. May she rest in peace.
Love to you all
Kerrin xox
I am so sorry for your loss. I am very sad. I had just discovered Cat's work recently. I wish I could have had more time to get to know her better. God bless you and your family.
My thoughts and prayers for you and your family.
I am so sorry.
warren-- i'm in tears here --just having learned the news about cat. all of my dealings with her on etsy always left me feeling that i had just gotten a little bit closer to an incredibly lovely person-- i'm so very sorry to hear about cat's difficulties and your great loss-- my heart goes out to you and your family. cat will be greatly missed.
kathi
Thank you and your family so much for sharing this news with all of us, at this difficult time.
Though I did not have a chance to get to know Cat well, we did comment back and forth in the Etsy POE forums, and she was very welcoming and kind to me (a newcomer).
I cried as I read today, as I am someone who also lives with chronic pain and illness, and my Etsy photo shop and the kind people online, can mean so very much! She will be in my heart, too, now. It is sweet to hear that another family member of yours will continue to take photos. Blessings to you all.
Warren, thank you for such a touching post. I am so very sorry for your loss...
Warren - so very sorry for your loss - how awful for you and your family.
Warren- My thoughts and prayers and with you and your family. Know that Cat's amazing presence and stunning work will continue to influence and move all of us. I did not know her pain was so great-she will be very deeply missed by everyone she touched. I am so, so sorry.
Cat Ivins
I am very sorry for your loss...
My sincere condolences,
Gwen
Warren,
Thank you so much for posting this so everyone may know and be able to post their prayers, feelings and wishes back to you. It took a great deal of courage I believe to post this here.
Only God knows what we can handle and gives us life accordingly. He must believe you can handle a lot. On the flip side of that, Cat is now at rest and so can you be as the time progresses and you heal.
God bless you and your family.
Tera
Oooh how very sad. I know Cat will be sorely and surely missed. Her work and encouragement to all who knew her was just amazing.
My deepest condolences to the family.
My sincerest sympathies to the family. So sad for the loss of this incedible talent. Blessings to you and the family!
Warren and family - I'm so very sorry for your loss. I knew Cat through Etsy and Etsy Project Embrace and was always so inspired by her talent.
I will miss her lovely presence. Love and prayers to your family.
I am so sorry for your loss, my thoughts and prayers are with you and your family.
Love, prayers, and sorrow. I believe Cat has found peace now, and I hope her loved ones will be able to do the same.
My deepest condolences on your loss.
I am so sorry for your loss! I did not know Cat well but I saw her photos through the POE team and chatted with her a few times in the forums. She always seemed to be a very sweet woman.
Blessings and comfort to you and your family.
wishing you wonderful memeories and peace.
what to say? so shocked, but my thoughts go out to you and all of your family. You seem to be managing to take whatever positives there are, and respecting Cat's decision and I commend you for that. Cat is, as you said, now at peace.
Thanks for taking the time to write and tell us.
Rachel
my thoughts and prayers are with you at this very difficult time. love light energy and hugs to your family.
Cat's photos were some of my favorites on etsy. her talent and spirit will be missed.
wishing you and your family (and Cat) Peace.
kathiroussel (Etsy seller) created a lovely treasury as a tribute to Cat-- you can find it here...
http://www.etsy.com/treasury/4bd1f0317fb16d9178f3d476/in-memory-of-cat-ludwig
Dear Ludwig Family,
We are so very sorry for your loss. Cat was a beautiful person who will be truly missed. Her family is her legacy and her photography will forever be the memories of the beauty she saw in her world.
Our sincere sympathy,
her friends at the 2010 Gallery (formally Park Place Gallery)
Warren, I am so very sorry to hear of this tragic loss.
I will pray for you and your family that our Lord will comfort you in the shadow of his wings, and give you peace. "Peace I leave with you, my peace I give unto you: not as the world giveth, give I unto you. Let not your heart be troubled, neither let it be afraid." John 14:27
Angela
I am so sorry for your loss Warren! I can't even imagine what you're going through, as I, who never met her in person, yet felt I knew her a bit through blog-land am completely in shock and am very saddened by her passing. My thoughts are with you, and with Cat, wherever she's at.
I have not been as active in the Etsy community lately so I just today became aware of your loss.
Cat was a spirit who was sensitive to the beauty around her. I'm glad I was able to share her visions of beauty, if only even for a short while.
Her lovely work will continue to give enjoyment to many.
Peace be with you.
Love and peace to your family...
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