Catherine Belous Armstrong

Catherine Belous Armstrong, 74, died peacefully at home surrounded by family following a valiant three year battle with cancer on Saturday, February 26th, 2011. Catherine, known as Cathy, was born on October 4th, 1936 to Joseph Peabody Belous and Mary Agnes McKendry in Chicago, Illinois but spent most of her life in Los Angeles, California. She graduated with a B.A. in Communication Studies from California State University at Northridge and then received a teacher's credential from the same college in 1974. Cathy was a teacher for 30 plus years. She was dedicated to her students as well as to her fellow teachers. She believed that all of her students deserved a chance to excel. She taught mostly in the Watts area of Los Angeles but also taught in East Los Angeles and Lake Elisnore. She also spent a number of years with the Los Angeles Educational Partnership as well as The Support Network. They both were vital non-profit groups focusing on support for students and teachers. She was an avid union representative for the United Teachers of Los Angeles. Besides being a staunch believer in education, Cathy loved the theatre. She performed in a few plays in college as well as community theatre. She also directed plays for high school students. She is remembered for her love of films, her marvelous support for the Deaf community and her caring of the family dog, Peppermint. Cathy is survived by her daughter, Allison Fanara of Madison; two grand-children, Giovanni and Katie Fanara of Madison; brother Philip Belous (Carol); sister in law Bea Belous of Pensacola, FL; brother in law, Robert Warren of Newark, DE; niece, Stacy Warren (Dan) of Spokane, WA.; nephew, Colin Warren (Virginia) of Chicago, IL.. Also surviving her are her grandnieces and grandnephews: Claire Israel, Robin Israel, Ian Parks and Imogen Parks; and numerous other relatives. She was predeceased by her brother, Russell E. Belous; sister, Irene Warren and nephew, Mark Belous. The family thanks the staff of HospiceCare, Inc, especially Cathy's team, for the compassionate care they gave Cathy during her final days and the support they extended to the family. They also thank the Cress Funeral Home and the University of Wisconsin Medical School for their gentle care of Cathy. A private memorial service will be held. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that donations be made to National Board for Professional Teaching Standards -- Scholarship Department -- 1525 Wilson St., Suite 500; Arlington, VA. 22209.