Catherine Goodwin Winslow

   Catherine Goodwin Winslow died peacefully at her home March 1, 2021 in the loving care of her family, just a few hours before her 88^th birthday, following a short battle with cancer. A long-time resident of Belvidere, North Carolina, she was the daughter of the late Minnie Rogerson Goodwin and Thomas Jefferson Goodwin, and the widow of L. Clinton Winslow, Jr., with whom she enjoyed fifty-nine years of marriage.

   Born in the Bear Swamp/Ballahack community of Perquimans County in 1933, she grew up on the various farms her father tended in that area. Before graduating with honors from Perquimans County High School, Mrs. Winslow had her first off-the-farm job as a clerk in Roses Department Store in Hertford. Though unable to pursue her goal of attending nursing school, that dream was partially realized when she was invited to work in the office of Dr. T.P Brinn in 1951. Except for four years following the birth of her second child, she worked for Dr. Brinn until his office closed in the early 1970s. She then moved to the office of Dr. L. Everett Sawyer in Elizabeth City. While working for Dr. Sawyer, she continued her education at the College of the Albemarle, and was in the first class from that school to be certified by the American Association of Medical Assistants. In 1980, Mrs. Winslow returned to work in Hertford as the administrative secretary for the Perquimans County Cooperative Extension Service, from which she retired in 1998. After her retirement, she worked part-time as secretary for Up River Friends Meeting, producing weekly bulletins and monthly newsletters up until January of 2021. Even while working away from home, Mrs. Winslow was a dedicated homemaker, making clothes for herself and her children, tending large gardens of vegetables with her husband, and canning and freezing prodigious amounts of food to provide for her family. No home improvement job was too large for her to tackle, from exterior painting and refinishing antiques to upholstering furniture and making drapes and window treatments.

   Mrs. Winslow grew up a member of Anderson United Methodist Church. Shortly after her marriage in 1955 she joined Up River Friends Meeting, where her husband’s family had belonged since its founding. As a convinced Friend, she would often state that although she had been raised a Methodist, she had been a Quaker much longer, and she took the testimonies of Friends very seriously to heart. Her faith was truly a defining factor of her life, and was lived out through her relationships with others, and in the activities to which she chose to dedicate her time. At Up River she sang in the adult choir, taught Sunday School, and served at various times as clerk of the Meeting on Ministry and Counsel, and recording clerk of the monthly meeting, and kept meticulous membership records. She was a founding member of the Elizabeth White Circle of the United Society of Friends Women, which she had served as president and treasurer. In addition to her local meeting, Mrs. Winslow was active in Eastern Quarterly Meeting and North Carolina Yearly Meeting of Friends, and maintained ties to the broader community of Quakers. Outside of the meeting, Mrs. Winslow was an active member of the American Association of Medical Assistants, and the North Carolina Cooperative Extension Secretaries Association. She supported and participated with her husband in his work with both the Perquimans County Farm Bureau and the Parksville Ruritan Club.

   While Mrs. Winslow was dedicated to her work and her meeting, her love for her family was evident in everything she did. She and her husband worked together as full partners during their long marriage, and she cared lovingly for him through his difficult final years, as she had done for her parents many years before. It was her joy to support her children, attending every program and concert during their school years, and continuing as her son’s most faithful fan through his years directing school plays, concerts, and the Albemarle Chorale. She continued this with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren, travelling as far as Rock Hill and Greenville, South Carolina; Apex, North Carolina; and Fredricksburg, Virginia to be in the audience for plays and sporting events. As the Covid 19 pandemic curtailed travel, it was her constant wish to be with her family, and she had looked forward to the time she would once again be able to see them.

   Mrs. Winslow is survived by a daughter, Beth (Anna Elizabeth) Winslow Sanders, and son-in-law Stephen O. Sanders of Rock Hill, South Carolina; a son, Lynwood C. Winslow III of Belvidere; a grandson, Adam O. Sanders and wife Dana of Apex; a granddaughter, Rachel E. Sanders of Durham; great-grandson Luke Sanders and great-granddaughter Kacie Sanders.  She is also survived by her sister-in-law (truly her sister at heart) LaClaire W. Anderson, of Elizabeth City, and many beloved nieces, nephews, and cousins. She was predeceased by her husband and parents, two infant sisters, and three half-brothers, Richard, Haywood, and Howard Goodwin.

   The family extends their appreciation to all those who have expressed their love and support throughout Mrs. Winslow’s illness and since her death. They are most grateful to the staff of Albemarle Hospital and Albemarle Hospice.

   Services will be held at Up River Friends Meeting, 523 Up River Road, Belvidere, N.C. at 11:00 am, Saturday, March 6. In line with Covid 19 precautions, masks are requested. For those who prefer, a low powered FM broadcast of the service will be available via car radio on the meetinghouse lawn, and socially distanced seating with a live video feed will, we hope, be provided in the fellowship hall. Burial will follow in Up River Cemetery. The family will receive friends at the home. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Up River Cemetery in care of Jesse Rountree, 553 Turnpike Road, Belvidere, NC 27919; the Up River Friends Meeting Memorial Fund, 523 Up River Road, Belvidere, NC 27919; or the Chowan Perquimans Relay for Life, checks made to A.C.S. in care of Frances Hammer, 1621 Belvidere Road, Belvidere, NC 27919.

   Miller and Van Essendelft Funeral and Cremation Services, 1125 Harvey Point Road, Hertford, NC, is assisting the family with arrangements, and online condolences may be made by visiting www.millerfhc.com.