Catherine A. Gruber

Catherine Ann “Cathy” Gruber, 86, died peacefully at Essentia Hospital, Fargo, March 14, 2026, after a brief illness.

Cathy was born September 4, 1939, in Jamestown, ND, to Harold and Mary (Murphy) Feton. She is survived by her daughter, Kris Gruber, Fargo; sister, Mary Jean Feton, GA; brothers-in-law Edward “Bink” (Carolyn) Gruber, WA; Dave (Vallie) Gruber, NM; Joe (Lisa) Neurauter, Valley City; Bob Green, Valley City; sisters-in-law Michele (Bob) Green [deceased]; Patty (Lee) Miller, Fargo; and many nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents and husband, William “Bill” Gruber, as well as her beloved best friend, Ruthie “Ru” (Doug) Rose.

Cathy was a devout Catholic, attending and graduating from St. John’s Academy in 1957. After graduation from high school, she attended St. Catherine’s College in St. Paul, MN, and became a nurse’s aide at Minneapolis General Hospital in Minneapolis MN. In 1965, she moved back to Jamestown and became her teenage sister’s (Mary Jean Feton) legal guardian upon the death of their mother, Mary.

In 1968 she married her husband, William “Bill” Gruber and they moved to Fargo where their daughter, Kris Gruber, was born.

Cathy had several retail sales positions in Fargo and Moorhead, MN: Lloyd’s, Herbst, Brakke Hardware, and Scheels Hardware. She retired from Moorhead Herberger’s in 2017, retaining many dear friendships formed there.

Travel was a passion: an 8-week excursion around Europe with friends in 1965, road trip/flight combos to California with Bill and Kris, a bucket-list wedding anniversary flight to Germany, and yearly trips to Atlanta to visit her sister.

In later years, Cathy most enjoyed walking in the sunshine, visiting many neighborhood animals with treats in tow, in a pouch on her walker. Most notably, Luna, who would cross the street to meet her, despite pleas for the cat to return safely home, and Gus and Tina, the St.Bernard and German Shephard, whose imposing barks would cease, replaced by tender eagerness, when they caught sight of her.

When Cathy became less mobile, her large picture window allowed her continued contentment from pets & their owners getting exercise and children going back and forth to school or just biking around.

She found washing the dishes relaxing; looking out her back window, watching the birds in the feeder, squirrels, neighbor’s chickens, and brilliant sunsets.

The bunnies knew her and her penchant for throwing food to them — a few could be caught staring at the back door from the driveway, when the yard became too far for her to go.

Cathy loved old tv shows (Frasier, Columbo), many, many movies (including repeat viewings of “Big” with Bill, and “Chicago” with Kris), games (“Taboo”), and visiting with close friends and neighbors.

She kept so many close to her heart and radiated warmth and tenderness in all her encounters.

Cathy relished all humor (Irish Catholic side of the family), holding laughter in high regard. There were “Grandma Murphy” stories (she felt her later years were patterned after her beloved grandma), pet tales (jealous Queenie, dumb Basil), and endless retellings of hijinks with the cast of characters that were her husband’s family, whom she adored.

A Celebration of Life Service is being planned at a later date.