Catherine Wanger

Catherine Wanger, age 90, passed away after a brief illness on September 3, 2014 at Cottonwood Rehabilitation Center in Durango, Colorado. Born in Vienna, Austria on February 29, 1924 (leap year day), she was sent away by her parents at age 14 to Sweden in order to escape the Holocaust. She came to the United States in 1946 and settled in the Bronx, New York, where, as a single mother, she worked as a bookkeeper and librarian at Bronx Community College until her retirement.
She relocated to Durango in 1994 to be near her son Michael, his wife Penny, and their family. Catherine could often be seen walking from her home on Third Avenue to City Market pushing her cart, or the Durango Public Library, or walking her small dogs. She was a self-taught voracious reader, an avid NY Times crossword puzzle devotee, and an animal lover. She lived by herself and enjoyed a life of fierce independence until age 90. Animal activism, vegetarianism, and rugged individuality were her trademarks, and she was an exemplary and shining example, especially to her women friends, of strength, wisdom, honesty, and adherence to her principles.
Catherine is survived by her son, Michael Wanger, his wife Penny, and two grandsons, Ethan Wanger and Alex Stone, as well as her two beloved dogs. Burial will occur at 11:00 a.m. at Crestview Cemetery on Monday, September 8, 2014, followed by a luncheon at The Lost Dog. Contributions in her memory may be made to the Humane Society of Durango or Annie's Orphans.