Catherine (Kitty) Everson (nee Wesley)
April 11, 1939 – May 13, 2025
It is with great sadness that the family of Catherine Everson announces her peaceful passing on May 13, 2025 in Thunder Bay, ON. Catherine “Kitty” Everson, our beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, sister, friend, and relative, traditionally known as “Taytaywaybinesiik” (Whirlwind) & “Nigaani Mikinaak Kweg” (Leader Turtle Woman) of the Atik Doodem (elk clan), will be dearly missed.
Kitty was predeceased by her parents Stanley and Isabella, sisters Eva, Ida, Rena, Harriet, Maria, Virginia, and Christine, brothers Alex and Archie, husband Ron Everson, partners Neil Moore and Robert “Bob” Pearson. She was also predeceased by her son Charles, daughter Lisa, grandson Sean, granddaughter Charlie and great-grandchildren Tristan and Jake.
Kitty is lovingly survived by her children Ron (Lise), Eric, Susan, Rena (Joseph), Randal, Ingrid (Vincent) and Jonothan Muckle. She will be missed by her grandchildren Ronald, Frank, John, Lindsay, Ryan, Caitlin, Darci (Angus), Cody, Cory (Jolene), Kane (Janelle), Jory, Darby, Shayla, Nathaniel and Jamie. Kitty was most proud of her great grandchildren, Junior, Maribelle, Kaysin, Marcus, Elijah, Neil, Krillin, Mem, Moon, Angus, Zayd, Kingston, Kallen, Alena, Sophia, Teagan and Gabriel. Kitty was also survived by her great-great granddaughter Luna. Also, mourning her loss are her siblings Rod (Emma), Barbara (Alex), Mervin and numerous relatives and friends.
Kitty was born in Lac Seul, ON to Stanley Wesley and Isabella Shortback. Kitty attended both the Pelican Falls and Shingwauk Residential schools. Following her years at Shingwauk, Kitty spent two years in the TB sanitorium in Sault Ste. Marie, ON. She then returned home to Lac Seul briefly before moving to Kenora as a teenager. She met her husband Ron Everson and they began their family, raising them in Kenora and Lake of the Woods, ON.
She was an active member of the Lake of the Woods Pow Wow club as well as a number of other community initiatives. Her community work in Kenora was always focused on connecting community and bringing people together. She was committed to helping others live a good life.
Kitty has always been a helper to any community that she lived in. In Kenora, Lac Seul and Thunder Bay, she served her community and people and was honoured to do so. She was a respected teacher and mentor, sharing what she knew freely and was also a very resourceful learner, always willing to learn new things and ways of doing. Kitty loved taking part in ceremony. She loved spending her time picking and preparing medicine, always sharing her knowledge in any way that she could. She loved spending time on the land, attending pow-wows and always found friends wherever she travelled.
Her greatest passions were Bingo, garage sales and blueberry picking. Kitty was known as the “blueberry lady” and she spent endless hours with her grandchildren making “blue jam”. She would also travel to Caramat to pick berries with her sister Barb and brother-in-law Alex, where she always said, “they grew like grapes.” In her later years, when picking became more difficult, her brother Rod always made sure to bring her berries for her freezer. She had a number of blueberry patches, and it did not matter her age, she went out each year faithfully and picked what she could. Kitty was always up for an adventure, as many of her outings often were. She was the best storyteller and always had a good story up her sleeve.
Kitty worked at the NeChee Friendship Centre in Kenora, ON as a Native Court worker and as an interpreter for over 25 years. Kitty was committed to helping children wherever she could and worked in child welfare for both Anishinaabe Abinoonji Child Services and Tikinagan Family Services. She returned to Pelican Falls High School to work as a House Parent, cooking and enjoying her time with the students. She was also a Board member at the Migisi Alcohol and Drug Treatment Centre. At the age of 65, Kitty returned to Lac Seul to work for the Indian Residential School Program. It was here that she found herself in helping others to heal from the trauma of Residential School. Kitty did much work on herself so that she could help others.
She retired in Thunder Bay and Kitty kept busy by volunteering with Indigenous women’s organizations like Beendigen Inc. and the Ontario Native Women’s Association. Kitty was a regional grandmother for the Ontario Native Women’s Association and travelled and shared many teachings to support the organization in their work. She was a part of the Ontario Native Women’s Association back in the early days in Kenora when they had a storefront selling indigenous crafts and artwork.
Kitty would always open and close meetings in “her” language because it was in Ojibway that she could speak her truth and was most comfortable. It was always an enjoyable time listening to her have discussions with other language speakers, finding words and phrases, old time philosophers, filling the room with laughter and love. People would call her, asking for a word in the language, this would set off a lengthy list of calls she would make to others, until the much sought after word was rediscovered. She would do that for everyone. Anywhere she went, she would reconnect with old colleagues and friends. Kitty was a good friend to all, and she adopted many as family along the way. She lit up the room with her smile and made everyone comfortable wherever they were. She was a respected elder and was passionate about advocating on behalf of her people, especially youth. Her legacy as a matriarch, protector and trailblazer will live on forever.
A special thank-you to Sam Hennessy and Dani Peltier from the ONWA Skabe and Mindimooyehn Health Service Team, Tammy Lepoint from Paramed, and Dr. Steve Klassen who supported our family to care for Kitty at home.
A wake will be held at the Norman Community Hall on Thursday, May 22, 2025 beginning at 4:00pm, with a service on Friday May 23, 2025 at 10:00am at Brown Funeral Home 7 Cremation Centre, followed by interment at the Lake of the Woods Cemetery. A luncheon will follow at the Norman Community Hall. For those unable to attend, a live stream will be available at https://fweb.tv/184741
Honorary Pallbearers will be Ron Everson, Eric Everson, Randal Everson, Nathaniel Green, Ronald Stone and Junior Stone.
Pallbearers will be Frank Everson, John Everson-Corriveau, Ryan Parker, Cody Skead, Cory Skead, Kane Smith and Jory Smith.