Catherine Ellen Helten passed away unexpectedly in her home in Kennewick on May 10, 2015.

She was born in Springfield, Missouri and lived for a long time in various cities in the state of Colorado.  After meeting Tim Eugene Wright, the man who would become her husband and business partner, she moved to Washington over thirty years ago.  Tim preceded her in death in June of 2004.  The two of them owned a home in Kennewick and a packaging company, which they named Matrix Applications, headquartered in Vancouver, WA.

Cathy spent many, many hours on the road between Kennewick and Vancouver developing a love for both the desert flora of eastern Washington and the scenic Columbia Gorge in between.  With the companionship of her two beloved cats and NPR radio, she never seemed to mind making the drive back and forth.

Cathy was an avid NASCAR fan, catching the races on her car radio, or even better, her home theater system.  She was so enthusiastic about the drivers and stats that it was impossible to be around her and not get pulled in by her excitement.

Cathy had one son, Jeffrey.  She was immensely proud of him, and loved him unconditionally.  She often spoke of how much she enjoyed his intelligence and sense of humor.

In the last few years of her life, Cathy’s greatest joy was her only grandchild, Kaylie.  Kaylie lived with Cathy for a year while she finished college, and then she settled in the Tri-Cities area with her mom, Paula.  Grandma, mother, and granddaughter frequently shared in all sorts of activities together, some of which included:  Movie and pizza nights, Cirque du Soleil shows in Seattle and Portland, CBC theater productions, a Mid-Columbia Master Singers concert, numerous craft fairs at a multitude of local venues, and special shows like Jeff Dunham and The Blue Man Group.  The three of them were seen so often together at the Cousin’s restaurant in Pasco that many of the staff had begun to refer to them as “The Three Generations.”

Cathy had a positive outlook on life that was unmatched.  She saw the best in people.  She used the word, “wonderful” for description so often that it became a secret family game to count her usage of it in conversations with her.  There are no words for how deeply she will be missed or how fondly she will be remembered by everyone that knew her.  She was… a truly wonderful person.