Remembering our Friend

Our dear friend and colleague, Catherine Saltwick, passed away on 30 May 2008 in Botswana, Africa where she was posted as a Peace Corps Volunteer. We, her fellow Peace Corps Volunteers, have created this blog to honor her and to allow all of her many friends, PCVs and her family to share their stories and their grief. To say we are shocked and saddened by the accident that took her from us is an understatement. To say she is missed and will never be forgotten is a truth.

Cathy was a seeker of truth, a seeker of adventure and a seeker of love and she found it all in Botswana. She served in the small village of Mookane and enjoyed her Peace Corps experience so much, she had just signed up for an extended third year of service, where she was to be posted at PSI in Gaborone. She spoke fluent Setswana, a feat few of her fellow PCVs accomplished. She said that the Peace Corps changed her for the better, but we all thought she was wonderful the first day we met her. Her motto was: “It’s all good,” and she said it often.

Cathy is respected by so many and we will miss her terribly. Her spirit lives on in each of us because she touched our lives with her inner and outer beauty, with her love of life, with her calm assurance of confidence and contentment and with her life of service and caring about others.

We are proud to call her a friend and we love her.

Tuesday, June 10, 2008

Gratitude for the life of a fellow PCV and Washingtonian

I never met Cathy, but her life resonated with me in so many ways. As a fellow PCV (Malawi), Lion and Washingtonian (Bellevue), I am so sorry for your loss, and so grateful for the outstanding and purposeful life Cathy lived while on this earth.

As a member of the loose fraternity of thousands of Returned PCVs throughout the world, I know Cathy has touched the lives of many from Seattle to Botswana. May you find comfort in the coming days, knowing the gratitude we all feel for her kindness and service to humankind.

Thank you, Cathy, for your life of caring.

Shannon Brown, RPCV, Malawi

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