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Catharine Pointer
Catharine Pointer, who has died aged 60, will be remembered not least for her down-to-earth wit. To a friend’s rather sentimental expression of belief that heaven is a library. Catharine replied that her idea of heaven is a library where no one checks out the books.
Nearly 22 years ago, a family tragedy changed the course of Catharine’s life. The Kent Messenger of Friday October the 1983 carried the front page news: Girl dies after car crushes church family. On the previous Sunday a 17 year old speeding in his car to a football match ploughed into Catharine and family as they walked home from Harvest Festival service at All Saints Church The accident exacted the life of Catharine’s six year old daughter Rachel. Husband Michael suffered internal injuries and Rachel’s younger brother Jonathan then aged four emerged with bruises and shock.
Catharine’s serious back and leg injuries led to a year of hospital rehabilitation and life long wheelchair confinement. While at Stoke Mandeville hospital Catharine put her professional skills as a medical librarian to good use. She also noted that hospital carers understood how to treat her physical recovery but had little idea how to comfort her as a grieving mother. This observation was to provide a seed for her later invaluable work as national Librarian for The Compassionate Friends (TCF) founded in 1969 to offer peer support for people who have lost a child.
The Pointers wasted little time in turning personal tragedy to saving the lives of others. With considerable help from their many friends they supported a successful campaign to improve a local traffic ‘black spot’ near the site of the accident. They also remained active in their local parish. Catherine’s energetic drive to become ‘better rather than bitter’ extended beyond neighbourhood activities and she will also be remembered for her efforts on behalf of the National Childbirth Trust and for the National Association for the Welfare of Children in Hospital.
I met Catharine in her capacity as TCF National Librarian and discovered not only a scholar but a counsellor, agony aunt, comforter and encourager. Catharine took up what began as a small collection of books for bereaved parents and over the course of nearly twenty years developed a unique National postal library with well over a thousand books and other resources for bereaved people of all ages. Until Catharine’s retirement earlier this year and after nearly twenty years of service TCF library was run from Catharine’s home with the help of one part-time assistant, extending to thousands of bereaved parents the benefit of quality bereavement literature and ‘hands-on’ support. Catharine’s husband Michael and son Jonathan survive Catharine.
Linda Hurcombe
A Service of Thanksgiving for the life of Catharine Pointer will be held in All Saints Church at 2.00pm on the 29th October 2005.
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