Luticia Jane (Wetzel) Cathey

1904 – May 2, 1985

Luticia Jane Cathey, 82, of Clifton, Texas, died Thursday, May 2, 1985.

Born in Noble County, Oklahoma in 1904, she was the daughter of Thomas Maxion and Anna Dorcus Huffington Wetzel. Following her graduation from Perry high school in 1922, she attended Oklahoma A. & M. for 2 years in the school of fine arts.

Her career in education began in 1924 when she accepted a position to teach the primary department of the Covington school. Luticia taught there for two years before continuing her education at the University of Oklahoma, where she earned her life certificate for teaching in 1927.

She and her sister, Nell Wetzel, who also received a life certificate, accepted teaching positions at Grandfield, Oklahoma for the 1927-28 academic year. The following year she taught classes in public speaking and dramatic reading at a Wichita Falls, Texas, high school. During the summer she returned to Perry and taught lessons in expression. She and her students performed many dramatic readings.

On September 29, 1928, she and Heston Cathey were married in Chillicothe, Missouri, where Heston was attending Chillicothe business college. Luticia accepted a position as a saleslady for the J. C. Penney company. Following his graduation, the couple moved to St. Louis, Missouri, where Heston had accepted a position. They also lived in Tulsa, Hobbs, New Mexico, and Roswell, New Mexico, where Luticia taught first grade from 1951 to 1971. The couple were blessed with two children. Heston died in 1976.

Her last years were spent in Clifton, Texas.

Surviving are the couple’s two sons, Edward Thomas Cathey and Danny Cathey.

Graveside services will be at 3:30 p.m. Saturday, at the South Park Cemetery, Roswell, New Mexico.