Catherine Hohenlohe Jacobus died peacefully in Delray Beach, Florida, shortly before sunset on the Winter Solstice, December 21. She was married to George H Jacobus, who predeceased her in 2013. For the last forty-plus years, she divided her time between Florida and Martha's Vineyard, Massachusetts, usually feeding, tending, and celebrating her family members and friends. Catherine was born in 1942 in Washington DC to Margaret Boyce Schulze and Alexander Hohenlohe but grew up in New York City with her mother and her step-father, Morton Downey. She attended Marymount High School and then graduated from Manhattanville College in 1964 with a degree in English.

After college Catherine worked briefly in journalism for McCall's Magazine. From 1964 until 1973, she sat on the board of Newmont Mining Company as a principal shareholder. In 1973, she married Jake and moved from Greenwich, CT to Little Rock, AR. The family then moved to Florida in 1976 where she served as a board member and worked closely with the staff of the Achievement Centers for Children and Families to establish the Morton Downey Family Resource Center. A children's rights advocate, Catherine also had a passion for the arts and for education and she provided private scholarships for numerous young people to attend college. She became a summer resident of Chappaquiddick, Massachusetts in 1979 and contributed generously to the Martha's Vineyard community over the years, including to the YMCA, the Martha's Vineyard Hospital, the Island Grown Initiative, and MV Community Services. Throughout her life, she was a devoted and generous philanthropist, financially supporting many causes, organizations, institutions, and individuals. The Bethesda Hospital Foundation honored her as "A Woman of Grace" in 2004.

Catherine loved beautiful, powerful writing and read voraciously for her entire life. A poet herself, she composed many rhyming bawdy verses for loved one's special occasions, as well as more serious work, such as the collection of almost fifty poems she was editing at the time of her death. Her creativity went beyond words--she painted pictures and furniture, arranged flowers, made elaborate wedding and birthday cakes, and crafted gorgeous beaded necklaces. She learned the life story of almost every person with whom she came into contact, usually within minutes. When faced with disappointing news, she typically responded with a burst of profanity, surprising some, delighting others. She also loved dogs and owned many sweet and not-so-sweet canines through the years.

Catherine is survived by her children: Alexandra Cook and husband John Conforti; Christian H. Jacobus and wife Ashley; step-children: Ann Kordahl and husband James; William Jacobus and wife Crystal; Lacy Jacobus; and Todd Jacobus and wife Shana; grandchildren: David, Christina, and Dylan Conforti; Catherine Jacobus and Jace Nienberg; James, John, Caroline, and George Kordahl; John Ficklen; Andrew, William, and Nathaniel Jacobus; and three great-grandchildren; her brother Christian Hohenlohe and wife Nora; and her Goldendoodle, Colby.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on Saturday, January 15, 2022 at St. Paul's Episcopal Church, 188 South Swinton Avenue, Delray Beach at 1:00 pm.

In lieu of flowers the family requests donations to the Achievement Centers for Children and Families Foundation at https://www.achievementcentersfl.org/ways-to-give/.