Catherine Hladky, the wife of former Indianola Mayor George Hladky, died Thursday after a brief illness. She was 85. Cathy, the daughter of Raymond and Marjorie Lewis, was born Sept. 20, 1927, and raised with a brother and sister on a farm near West Liberty in eastern Iowa. She graduated from West Liberty High School in 1945 and taught at a rural school for three years before attending and graduating from Drake University in Des Moines, where she met her future husband, George Hladky, the publisher of the Indianola Reminder who also served for a term as a Warren County supervisor. He preceded her in death in 1994. The couple had two sons, William of Fort Lauderdale, FL, and Douglas of Henderson, NV, and San Francisco, CA. Cathy worked alongside her husband at the Reminder, handling a host of business matters. She was also active in the community, serving on many committees and with myriad organizations including the Women's International League for Peace and Freedom, League of Women Voters and Habitat for Humanity. An avid reader, Cathy was devoted to the arts in Indianola and Des Moines. She was an active member of the First Unitarian Church of Des Moines. She resided at The Village in Indianola. In addition to her two sons and their wives, Mary and Maxine, Cathy is survived by her grandson, John, of Reno, NV; a sister, Mary Ness of Iowa City; and Mary Ness' four children and their spouses -- Warren and Cindy Ness of Iowa City; Joseph and Diane Ness of San Antonio, TX; David and Barbara Ness of Iowa City; and Clark and Christy Ashton of Mesquite, NV, and her 10 grandchildren and 8 great-grandchildren. Memorial services will be held 10:30 a.m. Saturday, January 19, 2013 at the First Unitarian Church, 1800 Bell Avenue, Des Moines. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to The Good Shepherd Fund, c/o The Village, 1203 North E Street, Indianola, IA, 50125. Overton Funeral Home in Indianola, 515-961-5121, is in charge of arrangements. Online condolences may be made at www.overtonfunerals.com.