Catherine Wasden Omran, aged 51, passed away at her home in Henderson, NV, on Sunday morning, November 3, 2024. Cat lived her life with happiness, determination, and a strong desire to do what is right. Her ultimate joy was and is being a mother to Alex.
Catherine was born to John and Deborah Wasden on April 7, 1973, in Salt Lake City, UT. She was the second of five children and only girl. She enjoyed a happy childhood and attended public schools in Boise, ID. After playing a variety of sports, she ultimately focused on competitive dance. She was part of the Capital High School “Golden Girls” dance team, where she formed many enduring friendships.
She continued to make new friends after enrolling at Brigham Young University to study childhood development. During her sophomore year, she lived with three other students who would become dear friends, including Jeanette (LeBlanc) Anderson, Cat’s lifelong best friend. Their relationship remained a constant source of joy and strength through life, with the two of them traveling to Hawaii together with their families earlier this year. Jeanette was by Catherine’s side, holding her hand and offering words of comfort, at the time of her passing.
After trying her hand in several different vocations, Catherine found her true calling as an elementary school teacher in her early thirties. She spent the majority of her 20-year teaching career in second grade at Ferron Elementary School in the Clark County School District, Nevada.
Cat excelled as an instructional leader. Her classroom was a place where students always felt safe, seen, and valued. They consistently demonstrated dramatic academic improvements under her watchful care. Many students and their families maintained long-term relationships and returned to share important life milestones. She was also a beloved member of her school faculty, and these close relationships helped lift her spirits on tough days. Her dynamic teaching style spilled over into her personal life, where recognizing someone with a “10-finger woo!” became a favorite tradition among family members.
Cat arranged for her son, Alex, to attend school at Ferron, and he was her student while there. They have both been surrounded with love by this incredible community of compassionate individuals across the years. Teachers volunteered their sick leave to Cat during her cancer treatments; and days before she passed, a group of her beloved coworkers sang songs in her honor outside her home.
Outside of work, Cat had many passions and hobbies, including traveling, spending time with family, drives to see fall leaves, walking, lifting weights, painting, singing, listening to books on tape, and trips to McDonalds for ice cream. She was a light to all those who knew her. Her laugh was infectious, and she was quick to show love, compassion, and encouragement to friends and strangers alike.
Her greatest love and joy is her son Alexander Tamer Omran. She adored being his mother from the minute he was born and took great pleasure in watching him grow. His creativity and imagination inspired her. Cat always made an effort to create a supportive and loving home for him, and cultivated an environment where his neighborhood friends, whom she dubbed the “Tilden Way Crew,” would gather to play or enjoy a homemade pizza night with lots of laughs.
Catherine lived with breast cancer twice during the last 11 years of her life. Throughout this time she was determined to stay healthy for her son. She was anchored by an abundant, abiding faith in her Heavenly Parents and Jesus Christ. She felt protected and cared for by angels, whom she called her guides. She credited them with many miracles, including her ability to extend her life beyond what science thought possible.
Cat was married twice. She is preceded in death by her mother, Deborah Ann Jacobson Wasden, and survived by her son Alexander Tamer Omran, Henderson, NV; father John R. Wasden (Jean), Boise, ID; brothers John “Jake” Jacobson Wasden (Michelle), Spanish Fork, UT; Michael J Wasden (Norah), Pennington, NJ; Tyler J Wasden (Yulia), Meridian, ID; Andrew Scott Wasden (Alyssa), Boise, ID, as well as numerous nieces, nephews, aunts, uncles, and cousins..
She was cared for during her last month of life by willing and dedicated family members, who adored her and bear witness to her unbelievable determination. In keeping with her wishes, a private, family grave-side service was held on Friday, November 15, at Dry Creek Cemetery in Boise, ID, where she was interred next to her beloved mother.
She will be missed and lovingly remembered by all who knew her.