Cathy Rueff

​​   Cathy Denise Rueff, of Columbus, MS, passed away February 10, 2021 at Baptist Memorial Hospital.  She was 51.  A memorial service will be held on Saturday, February 20, 2021 at the Columbus Seventh Day Adventist Church, 301 Brooks Road, Columbus, MS  39702.

Cathy was born in Birmingham, Alabama.  Adopted at a very early age by two loving parents, her family moved around a lot in her early years, but settled in Columbus by the time she entered high school.  She enjoyed high school and had several close friendships while there.  After graduating in 1987, she went to Mississippi University for Women, but then transferred to Southern Adventist University in Collegedale, Tennessee,where she graduated with a degree in marriage and family counseling.  She had three children with her first husband while working at McKee foods in Collegedale, Tennessee.  A new job sent her and her family to Portland, Oregon, in 2002, where she worked at Adventist Medical Center in the foundation office, raising money for the hospital.  When her marriage fell on hard times, she moved back to Columbus to be with her dad.  She renewed an old friendship with Mike Rueff, and after her divorce was final, the two started dating.  He proposed on February 14, 2012, and they were married on August 5, 2012, her parent’s 50 th wedding anniversary.

Mike and Cathy had a good life together.  They took several trips together and enjoyed being with each other.  She also enjoyed her job as a legal secretary for Hal McClanahan, for whom she worked for eight years.  She had a sharp mind and enjoyed learning about the legal process.  In her spare time, Cathy enjoyed studying the Bible, sharing Jesus with others, spending time with family and friends, going to church, doing sudoku puzzles, making Christmas cards and reading.  She was also a big fan of the Peanuts comic strip and television specials.

Cathy is a daughter of the King of Kings.  She loved her Savior Jesus Christ, her husband, her children, her church and her friends.  She was kind to strangers and never shied away from sharing Jesus with those around her.  She was a true blessing to those who knew her well, and she was deeply loved by those closest to her.  Cathy was preceded in death by her parents, Billy Edwin Thompson and Carol Ragsdale Thompson.  She is survived by her spouse, Charles Michael (Mike) Rueff, III of Columbus, MS, and her children, Regina Danielle Jones Curvin and her husband Matthew of Canby, OR, Brandon Colby Jones of Portland, OR and Brendon Cody Jones and his wife Kelsea of Columbus, MS.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the family.