Obituary of Cathleen Leue

Cathleen Leué, a beloved professor at the University of Oregon, passed away on June 18th according to her family. She was 56.Born in Chincoteague VA on August 29th 1956 to Captain David and Mrs. Jane (Febrey), Cathleen spent her childhood on Navy bases throughout the United States including Virginia Beach, Virginia and Lemoore, California. The third oldest of seven siblings, Cathy was extremely close to her family.Upon graduating high school, Cathleen began her education at community colleges in the San Francisco Bay area and Quincy, California, and then attended California State University, Chico where she received her degree in Economics. She continued her education and received her Ph.D. in Economics from Washington State University in Pullman, Washington in 1985. She also worked as a chef and waitress at a resort in Quincy, California as she furthered her education.In 1986 she married Mark Thoma and gave birth to their son Derrick in San Diego, California where she was an assistant professor at San Diego State University. Spending time with Derrick and her family was always Cathleen’s top priority. Soon after Derrick’s birth, the family moved to Eugene, Oregon from San Diego where she began her career at the University of Oregon. Cathleen loved both Eugene and the University and was proud to call it home.As a professor at the University of Oregon, Cathleen helped move the university to the forefront of online education and worked with faculty and staff across a variety of disciplines to ensure they were on the cutting-edge of technology. She also taught undergraduate courses in Economics. She enjoyed her work immensely and gained the respect and admiration of her colleagues.An accomplished chef and gardener, she enjoyed cooking a large traditional Sunday dinner for her family each week. Never satisfied with a simple recipe, Cathleen would prepare delicious gourmet meals each week, often baking her own bread or spending hours on the perfect dessert. She was also fond of domestic and international travel, music, good books and spending time outdoors. She also loved cheering on the Ducks with friends and family. This summer she planned to travel to Italy and Spain.She is survived by her son Derrick, father and step-mother Captain David and Stella Leué and her family members Debbie Fokos, Krista Leué, Becky Roth, Emily Williams, Paul Leué, and Bonnie Brock and Mark, Amy and Paul Thoma.A memorial service will be held at Musgrove Family Center on Saturday, June 22nd at 1:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers memorial contributions may be made in "Cathleen's Memory to the UO Foundation economics scholarship fund in Cathleen's honor."