Patterson Cemetery District, Stanislaus County, CA 

Submitted by Gale Stroud and Burta Herger 26 Aug 2007

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Barber Catherine C 850701 np
Former Nurse at El Solyo Ranch Dies; A woman who served as a nurse at the El Solyo Ranch in tha 1930s has died in
Stockton. Catherine Cecilia Barber, a registered nurse, died June 13 at age 72. She had only recently graduated from
college when ahe came to El Solyo. She aided many of the families and single men with her nursing skills while her
husband Fred, then a recent graduate of Iowa State College, ran the ranch s hog operation.  He was assisted by Odell
Cearley. The couple lived at Camp Four at the ranch, but Catherine had an office and infirmary at Camp One.  Her main
hobby was training gaited riding horses. When former El Solyo Ranch personnel held their first annual reunion in the fall
of 1984, she was able to attend although she had lost most of her sight.  She was studying Braille at the time. In her later
years of nursing she was a psychiatric nurse at San Joaquin General Hospital near French Camp. She was the daughter
and granddaughter of early Idaho pioneers, and attended St. Theresa s Academy and Boise High School.  She graduated
from nursing at San Joaquin General, and took advanced work at Los Angeles  General. At one time she and her husband
owned the Humphrey a ranch near Escalon. She was a 50-year member of the San Joaquin General Hospital Nursing
Association, and was active in the Blind Center as well as many community activities. Survivors include a sister, Mary-
helen Nisewaner of Alameda.