Catherine E. Binard

Catherine Elizabeth Binard

March 16, 1918 – March 4, 2009 (photo c. 1942)

Catherine was born on March 16, 1918, to Mr. & Mrs. Robert & Deborah Conklin of Rocky Ford, Colorado. Catherine's father was a trader & trainer of horses, a landlord, a moneylender, and a horticulturist who bred roses. At a very young age Catherine developed a keen business sense while helping her father ply his various trades. Catherine's family moved to Colorado Springs when Catherine was nine years old. Catherine recalled watching from her bedroom window as the Klu Klux Klan—unhappy that a Catholic family had moved into the neighborhood—once burned a cross on her family's front lawn. Catherine's family didn't leave Colorado Springs, however, and Catherine graduated from St. Mary's Catholic High School in 1935.

Catherine met Charles Binard while attending a high school play and, despite the hardships of the great depression, the two courted during high school and then married after Catherine's graduation in the autumn of 1935. Charles recalls that Catherine was a very energetic young woman who enjoyed many activities, such as ice skating, and she was, in his own words, "the prettiest girl I'd ever seen."

Catherine began working in retail sales of women's apparel at Fashion Bar and, in the summer of 1936, Catherine was blessed with their first child, Donald. In 1938 Charles' career brought he and Catherine to Denver, where Catherine continued working for Fashion Bar in the big city. Catherine and Charles bought a home in Denver, on St. Paul Street, north of the Natural History Museum. During that same eventful year, Catherine and Charles were blessed with their second child, Sharon.

During World War II, Catherine altered her career path and served the war effort on the home front: She became a section floor manager in a military munitions plant located on the grounds of the Denver Federal Center. Like so many women of the greatest generation, Catherine was forced to temporarily maintain her family alone when, in 1943, her husband Charles was called to serve overseas as an army sergeant in the Philippines.

After Catherine's husband Charles returned safely from the war and the munitions plant closed, Catherine returned to the retail world of women's fashion, working as a buyer and manager at the Chez Marie bridal shop in downtown Denver for several years. Catherine was known by the name "Miss B." throughout her professional career.

Catherine left Chez Marie to become the manager & buyer for a new women's fashion boutique, Career Girl, located in downtown Denver near 16th & Tremont. Catherine enjoyed managing Career Girl and working with the store's owner, Mr. S. Levisohn, for many years. Catherine particularly enjoyed making buying trips to Manhattan and considered her years at Career Girl to be the comfortable and rewarding pinnacle of her career in women's retail fashion. During this time Catherine was also blessed with two more lovely daughters, Dianne (1949) and Debrah (1951). In 1955, Catherine and Charles moved away from the city to a new home west of Denver, near Kipling Street and Alameda Avenue. In 1961 Catherine was blessed with another son, Robert.

Catherine retired from Career Girl but found that a quiet life at home didn't agree with her. During the 1970's Catherine returned to retail management, this time at the Americana store in Englewood's Cinderella City mall. Catherine's natural business sense soon led her into supervising all of the Americana stores in Colorado while still managing the chain's flagship store in Cinderella City mall.

In 1984 Catherine once again retired and found great joy in gardening and in the training, showing, & breeding of pure-bred Wirehaired Fox Terriers. Catherine remained married to Charles for her entire adult life, 73 years, through thick and thin. Catherine and Charles remained at the same home in Lakewood for 54 years, where Charles—who will reach age 92 on March 9—still resides.

During her long life, Catherine was tested by fate on many occasions: She endured the great depression, World War II, and the deaths of her parents & all of her siblings. During the past 20 years Catherine endured several varied life-threatening health problems. Although Catherine endured many hardships during her lifetime, the most difficult challenge of her life was the death of her third child, Dianne, who succumbed to cancer on Christmas Day in 1997. But in all cases of hardship, whether they involved personal illness or grievous loss, Catherine always seemed to recover and persevere. She was a resilient, fiercely independent, and tenacious fighter through & through.

On March 4, 2009—just 12 days before her 91st birthday—Catherine finally succumbed to lung cancer. Catherine remained alert & communicative until the day before she died and she remained ambulatory, with the assistance of her husband and family, until days before her death. She passed away at home, as she had wished to, after enjoying visits from several family members on the previous day. Catherine is survived by her husband, four children, five grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and 14 great-great grandchildren.

Donations in Catherine's memory should be made to the Memorial Sloan-Kettering Cancer Center: www.mskcc.org; 212-639-2000; 1275 York Avenue, New York, NY 10021.

Memorial Service, Thursday, March 12, 2009 at 1:00PM at the Newcomer Funeral Home - West Metro Chapel. Inurnment follows at Fort Logan National Cemetery, Staging Area "B" at 2:30PM