Clay C. Katchmar

Clay C. Katchmar was born on July 8, 1923, in Merced, CA to the late Clifford Jay Cassell and Margaret Clay Rice Cassell. She was a long-time resident of Churchville, MD. Clay passed away on June 19, 2024, at the age of 100.

Beloved wife of the late Dr. Leon T. Katchmar, loving mother of Dr. Elizabeth K Bowman (Lawrence), Martha K. Lee (Dennis), Peter J. Katchmar (Joannie), Michael Colby Katchmar (Beth), and Eric P. Katchmar. Dearest grandmother of 11 grandchildren and great grandmother of one. Clay is preceded in death by her four siblings, Eleanor Jean, Clifford Joseph Cassell, Helen June Mitchell and Virginia Ruth Rogers. Clay will be deeply missed by nieces, nephews, family and friends. 

Clay taught kindergarten in a Montgomery County school, until she retired when expecting her first child. She raised her 5 children for 16 years before returning to work in 1973 to supervise a day care center in Essex for the Baltimore County Department of Social Services. She served in that capacity until 1982. For the next year she inspected day care homes for Baltimore County DSS. She retired in 1983.

An alumna of the University of California, Berkeley Campus, she earned a master’s degree in human Growth and Development at the University of Maryland, College Park Campus. This is where she met her husband of fifty years. Clay enjoyed teaching day care in Berkeley and San Francisco as well as in a Nursery school at the Presidio of San Francisco. She was a flight attendant for United Air Lines. She directed a Cooperative Nursery School and was a teacher of Parent Education in Merced, CA from 1950 till 1952. She was a lifetime member of the National Associations of Individual Investors, American Association of Individual Investors, and the Clan Galbraith of North America. She was a former president of the Saint Margaret's Mothers Club, and she was instrumental in changing it to a Home School Association. Clay was also a president of the Harford County Branch of the American Association of University Women. For two years she chaired the Saint Ignatius Christmas Bazaar. 

Clay was blessed to achieve her goal of living to be 100 years young and was very honored to receive the Pope’s blessing in a commemorative document on that occasion. 

A viewing and mass of Christian burial will be held at the historic St. Ignatius Church in Hickory with the Rev. Fater Peter Kiamo-oh officiating. The viewing will be at 10:00 am followed by mass at 11:00 with interment in the adjoining church cemetery. 

 Pallbearers will be Dennis Lee, Sean Katchmar, Jonathan Katchmar, Tom Randall, Lawrence Bowman and Kyle Bowman.

Contributions may be made to St. Ignatius Catholic Church, 533 E. Jarrettsville Road, Forest Hill, MD 21050.