Katheren Andrew Riddle's Obituary
Katheren Andrews Riddle of Austin, formerly of Dallas, has died at age 96 after a brief illness. She passed away peacefully on December 13, 2016 with her sons at her bedside. Born on April 25, 1920 in Waco, Texas, Katheren was the first daughter of Nicholas Pete Andrews originally of Vatika,Velanida, Sparta, Greece and Eugenia Metropolis, originally of Athens, Greece, both of whom immigrated to the U.S. and were married in Bessemer, Alabama on July 28,1910. Katheren was preceded in death by five of her six siblings—Peter, Angelus, James, Doffie, and John. In the 1940’s she moved to Dallas, where Katheren began her career at Highland Park Bank. While contributing financially to her family, she selflessly helped her mother nurse her invalid father at home until his death in 1943. In early 1950, Katheren met the love of her life, Ernest Robert Riddle, Jr., a WW II veteran and an attorney for the Veterans Administration. After a whirlwind romance, they were married on August 8, 1950 at Lambert Gardens in Dallas. Shortly thereafter, while Katheren was pregnant with their first child, Bob was deployed for over a year to Korea as a captain in the Marines. Sadly, their daughter, Caroline Elaine, died soon after birth. Katheren and Bob went on to raise three sons in Dallas surrounded by aunts, uncles, and cousins. Katheren and Bob were active in their community— Katheren was very involved in the boys’ schools, served as a den mother, taught Sunday school, and volunteered as a librarian at Highland Baptist Church. She supported Bob in service on civic planning boards, in charitable organizations, and as a prominent leader in the Boy Scouts. Through Katheren and Bob’s encouragement all three sons became Eagle Scouts. In the late 1960’s Katheren began as a librarian in the Fondren Science Library at Southern Methodist University, retiring in 1997 at the age of 77. She was proud to have been part of the technology revolution in library systems during which the Internet became integral, and she enjoyed the challenges of learning this new, cutting edge tool. Katheren was a devout follower of Christ. In addition to her family and work, Katheren took time to pursue her interests—including opera, entertaining, books, art, crafts, gardening, as well as organic and health foods. Katheren was preceded in death by her daughter, Caroline Elaine, on June 15, 1951, and her husband, Bob, on March 6, 1973. She is survived by her sons and their families—John and Paula, Amy, Ryan, and Emily of Austin; Thomas of Plano; Paul and Laura, Alex, and Analise of Houston; and her sister, Mary Norsworthy, currently of Stuttgart, Germany. She is also survived by her many nieces, nephews, and cousins—all of whom brought her great joy especially at family gatherings through the years. The family would like to thank the kind staff at Austin Hopice’s Christopher House. A service celebrating Katheren’s long and well-lived life will be held on Friday, December 16, 2016 at 3 PM at Restland Wildwood Chapel. Internment will be held at Restland Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to donor’s choice.
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