Cathie Angela Baird White

Cathie Angela Baird White, 78, passed away quietly at home, on March 23, 2025, attended by her husband of 55 years, Courtland White.

Born Jan 29, 1947, the daughter of Zita and Raymond Baird, Cathie grew up near Dover, Delaware. She attended Eastern College, where she met her husband, and graduated in 1969 with honors in Education from the University of Delaware. They were married that summer. She taught 4th grade at Charlottesville, Chapel Hill, Richmond, and Winston-Salem, and later Jr. High Math and Science at Mocksville, NC. She earned a Masters Degree in Education Administration in 1978 from Virginia Commonwealth University.

Cathie was an extraordinary teacher. She published articles in national education journals, and in 1987, during Gorbachev's period of “Glasnost,” she was invited to the Soviet Union to meet and share ideas with Soviet teachers and educators. Back home, she coached extracurricular teams to championships in Math-Counts and Science Olympiad. Most of all, she inspired in her students the joy of learning, particularly of science, and always made it fun. She loved them, and they loved her. Boxes of letters from former students and their parents attest to her influence on their young lives. After their move to Asheville in 1993, she studied business administration and for a time managed their fledgling optometry office.

Cathie was a life-long learner who enjoyed libraries, biographies, zoos, museums, travel, anything outdoors, and environmental activism. She joked about her limited cooking skills, but she was capable with tools and willing to tackle any household renovation or project.

In addition to her husband Courtland, Cathie is survived by her sister Rene Baird Wyatt (Dave), brother Gilbert Baird (Joann), her nephew and nieces Christopher, Melissa, Kimberly, and Jessica and their children. A celebration of her life was held in April of 2025.

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