Obituary of Catherine Elizabeth Szabo

Our brilliant, beautiful, sweet Catie passed away peacefully in her sleep on April 8, 2020 with her beloved dog, Beatrice, by her side. She died unexpectedly after suffering from a brief illness.Born in Colorado Springs, her love for learning began in the Manitou Springs public schools and continued throughout her High School years, graduating from Colorado Springs' Palmer High School's International Baccalaureate program.She continued on to Lake Forest College in Illinois, where she majored in both Biological Psychology and Philosophy and minored in Art.Catie was excited to have gotten a 4.0 in her just completed first term at Denver University where she had been accepted into the prestigious Psychology Graduate Studies program, working to receive her graduate and doctorate degrees simultaneously. Her goal was to become a doctor of Neuroscience and spend her career in research with the aim of helping people. She loved nature, hiking and bird watching with her dad. She loved all animals except mosquitoes (who loved her) and was a gifted artist.Catie was a champion for everyone she ever knew. She fought for the homeless, the sick and the marginalized with no trepidation or judgment. Catie was a certified Restorative Justice Councilor and had worked with young adults with intellectual and developmental challenges. She was also an incredibly talented, passionate, open-hearted, friendly, and generous�person. Countless people were in Catie's corner as she worked to achieve her dreams to make the world a better place in which to live. She went through so much and even through many tough times, she came out on top of it all and we are so proud of her and everything that�she accomplished. She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Dabney and Beulah Collins and Joseph Szabo; uncles, Tom Szabo and Doc Collins; and aunts, Gail Wyka and Christine Collins.Catie leaves behind a heartbroken community of family, friends, well-wishers and�supporters including her father, Mark Szabo; mother and stepfather, Elizabeth Collins Szabo and Tim Anderson; brothers, Michael (Annie Winbray), Nicholas (Alisha Inkrote) and James (Jessica); grandmother, Rita Szabo; her beloved nieces, Katana and Natasha Szabo; nephews, Dante Szabo and Jeffry Collins; uncles, Larry, Don, Paul and Greg Szabo and Jeff Collins; aunt, JoAnn Purcell; and numerous cousins and countless friends. We are so proud that she was our Catie and will miss her every day for the rest of our lives. We are devastated, the world was a better place with her in it and a sadder place without her.A Celebration of Catie's Life for all who loved her will be held at a later date.Sweet dreams Catie.