Catherine Lucyle Carsner Wahrmund
Catherine Lucyle Carsner Wahrmund, age 94, passed away August 30, 2021 peacefully in Austin, Texas. A native of Victoria, she lived her life simply so others could simply live. Later, having moved her family to several different countries, she would answer when asked where she was from, “How much time do you have?”
Hello and goodbye to all my good friends and family. It’s been an interesting ride.
I was born in Victoria, Texas on June 13, 1927, to Charles Carsner and my mother, Zetta Holloway Carsner. I was the fifth child of seven, four girls and three boys. I outlived all of them. Why? I cannot tell.
I seem to have had a rather outgoing personality right from the start. My father, a lawyer, was pleading a case before the supreme court of the United States and took my mother and little sister with him to Washington, D. C. I was five years old at the time. Not finding a place to park the car when he needed to go into the main post office, he left me in the car in a no parking space. I was instructed to tell a policeman my daddy would be right back. Sure enough, the policeman did come and threatened to give us a ticket. When I said you can’t do that, he asked why to which I responded, “Because my daddy is a judge!” We did not get a ticket.
The trait of not being afraid of the devil himself has served me well. I met my future husband, Bob Wahrmund, at the University of Texas. Together, we had four children (Robert, Anne, Jeff, Jane).
The great tragedy of my life was losing Bob at the age of 59 in 1983.
But in any case, it has all been very interesting. Good-bye and good fortune to all of you.
- Cathy Wahrmund
Cathy’s husband, Bob, graduated from U.T. Engineering Department went to work for Humble Oil which became Exxon, and together the family built a getaway place between Elgin and Lexington adjoining the historic Cain ranch. They practiced Quaker values in their daily lives and worked toward a better world through Friends’ organizations. After Bob’s death, Ms. Wahrmund worked in Pennsylvania at Pendle Hill hosting sojourners from around the world for several years. Jeff, a former teacher in Elgin, McDade, and Lexington before becoming a principal and his wife, Debbie moved to the ranch in 1980 where they reared their two children, Karen and Christina. Ms. Wahrmund is survived by her four children, seven grandchildren, and thirteen great-grandchildren.
The family will have a private celebration of life later. Donations to Cathy Wahrmund’s memory may be made to American Friends Service Committee (AFSC), 1501 Cherry St., Philadelphia, Pennsylvania 19102 or to Elgin Texas Library