Cathy Charlesworth Mejia

Cathy was called Home by Jesus on March 10, 2023, to be reunited with her husband Paul.

She was born in Trenton, Michigan to Erwin and Ruth (Huegel) Charlesworth who preceded her in death. The family moved to Kalamazoo when Cathy was six and she developed life-long friendships with members of Our Redeemer Lutheran Church and Comstock Public Schools where she graduated in 1972. She had fond memories of singing in the church choir, playing handbells, and being in the Comstock High School marching band.

Cathy began babysitting at 13 and started working summers at KVP/Brown Company at 16 to save money for college. With scholarships and work on campus, she was the first in her family to graduate with a college degree from Adrian College, which holds a special place in her heart. She continued working at Brown/James River after graduation and earned her MBA from Western Michigan University while working full-time. She had a long career in the human resources field, specifically organizational and leadership development. Her career took her to Heath/Zenith in Benton Harbor and then to the Chicago area for 20 years working at Ameritech, Tellabs, and Nicor.

A life-long learner who was risk-adverse, Cathy made it a goal to learn or experience something new every year which led to a wide variety of interests, some of which ‘stuck’ (genealogy, paddleball, and baking) and some which didn’t (basket weaving, cross-country skiing, and flower arranging). After retirement, she continued learning through WMU OLLI classes.  She was an avid Detroit Lions fan and even survived the 0-16 season while watching the games from a sports bar in Chicago with Bears fans and Cheeseheads. Every fall she always hoped the Lions would win the Super Bowl.

Cathy also believed in giving back to her community. She was an advisor for Junior Achievement, United Way volunteer, literacy tutor, member of the Adrian College Alumni Board of Directors, and served in a variety of volunteer roles for the churches she attended, including her current church, Trinity Lutheran.

The best years of her life were those spent with her beloved husband Paul. She met him in 1997 on a blind date and they were inseparable until his death in 2019. They loved to travel domestically and internationally exploring new places, cultures, and food.

Cathy is survived by her brother and sister-in-law Curtis and Ada Charlesworth, nieces Morgan (Brad Gauthier) and Logan Charlesworth, two great-nieces (Remington and Roux), great-nephew (Archer Paul), and step-daughter Michelle Mejia, as well as many cousins and her wonderful cat companion, Marco.

In lieu of flowers, Cathy would be honored if you remembered her by making a small gift to the Adrian College First Generation Scholarship Fund established by Cathy and Paul, Trinity Lutheran Church, or Kalamazoo Loaves and Fishes.

The visitation will be held at Langeland Family Funeral Homes Burial & Cremation Services 3926 S 9th Street, Kalamazoo, MI from 6 p.m. – 8 p.m. on Friday, March 17. Funeral services will be hosted at Trinity Lutheran Church 504 S Westnedge Avenue, Kalamazoo, MI at 11:00 a.m. on Saturday, March 18. https://www.langelands.com