Catherine D. (Courtway) Plese, 95, of St. Louis died March 20, 2021, at Delmar Gardens South in St. Louis County. Mrs. Plese was born April 26, 1925, in Herculaneum, the daughter of the late Irene (Sansoucie) and Edward Courtway. She attended Herculaneum schools and was a member of the former Assumption Catholic Church in Herculaneum. She was preceded in death by her husband of more than 40 years: Raymond Stanley Please, who died in 2010.
Mrs. Plese was a lifelong artist, working in ceramics, wood, oils and watercolors. She loved to paint the wooden chests her husband made, gifting them to family and friends as often as not. She and her husband enjoyed ballroom dancing and were instructors for many years. After he retired in the 1980s, they enjoyed RV traveling, gardening and entertaining. A self-taught pianist, she would play and he would sing, and they often sent guests home with fresh produce from their garden. In later years, they enjoyed spending days at the Senior Center in House Springs, chatting with friends and playing bingo. After his death, she continued with an active social life, and enjoyed spending time with extended family and friends.
She is survived by a daughter: Julia (John) Chaplin of Cedar Hill; a son-in-law: Gary Eberhardt of Creve Coeur; three grandchildren: Mark (Melissa) Klaus of St. Louis, Melinda “Lindy” Eberhardt of St. Louis and Greg (Angel) Klaus of Fenton; and nine great-grandchildren: Mark Jr., Emily, Brittany, Devin, Lauren, Logan, Christopher, Chloe and Kodie; and five great-great-grandchildren: Leah, Piper, Caleb, Nora and Kayne. She was affectionately known as “Aunt Katie” to her numerous nieces and nephews, including goddaughter Catherine (Cook) Hankins of Festus.
She was preceded in death by a daughter: Mary (Art) Fuller; a stepdaughter: Joan Eberhardt; two grandsons: Kenneth Klaus Jr. and Jeff Rathmann; and three siblings: Mary Virginia “Ginny” (the late Everett) Schwegmann, Anna Lorine Cook and Charles E. “Buddy” Courtway Jr.
A funeral Mass will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, April 6, at Our Lady of Queen of Peace Catholic Church, 4696 Notre Dame Lane, in House Springs, followed by private burial in the National Cemetery at Jefferson Barracks. Memorials may be made to Pathways Hospice Foundation, 14805 North Outer 40 Road, Suite 160, Chesterfield, 63017; or to a charity of the donor’s choice. Arrangements are under the direction of Vinyard Funeral Home in Festus.