Mary Catherine (Ross) Zetzsche, beloved mother, grandmother, sister, daughter, aunt and friend, died Nov. 16, 2021, at Jefferson Park Nursing Home in Dandridge, Tennessee. She was 78.

Loved ones will remember Cathy Zetzsche's life at a funeral service at 1 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 20, 2021, at the Chapel of Chase Funeral Home in Huntingdon, Tennessee. The family will receive friends at the funeral home from 10 a.m. until the service starts. Longtime family friend Roger Graham will officiate the funeral.

Interment will follow at the nearby Palestine Cemetery, the final resting places for generations of Cathy's ancestors — going all the way back to her great-great-great-grandfather Daniel Ross (1791-1842).

Cathy was born July 1, 1943, in Portageville, Missouri, to the late Lloyd Lee and Margaret Magdaline (House) Ross. Her father was serving in World War II (earning a Bronze Star Medal and a Purple Heart) at the time of her birth, and he did not meet her until she was 14 months old.

A service manager for the American Legion, Cathy lived in California for years. She loved growing roses and eating chocolate. Her family recalls her wonderful sense of humor (evidenced by her full-throttled laughter at the corniest jokes) and her excellent cooking (pork tenderloins were a favorite dish).

Survivors include one daughter, Patricia Ball (husband Marty) of Washington, Indiana; three sons, Joe Lindsey of Huntingdon, Sheldon Simonovich (wife Kathy) of Fredericksburg, Virginia, and Shannon Zetzsche (wife Jessica) of Dandridge; a sister, Mary Ruth Brogan of Illinois; three brothers, Charles Ross (wife Evelyn) of Waco, Texas, Bob Ross (wife Judy) of Fort Worth, Texas, and Kenneth Ross of Huntingdon.

She also leaves 11 grandchildren, Mandy Ash, Stephanie Simonovich, Zach Simonovich, Stormy Spinks, Haley Greenaway, Destini Bolding, Shannon Zetzsche Jr., Maci Grace, Paige, Taylor and Allyssa; and 10 great-grandchildren, Emily, Eli, Tommy, Dillan, Mason, Easton, Dustin Chase, Zander, Jackson and Savannah Lee.