Catherine "Cathy" L. Luhtala

Catherine "Cathy" L. Luhtala, 58, Rothschild, passed away Friday, December 24, 2021 at Froedtert Center For Advanced Care, Milwaukee after an almost 2 year battle with Non-Hodgkin’s Lymphoma.

She was born September 11, 1963 in Wausau, daughter of Harry C. Spanton III and LuAnn (Opper) Spanton.  On August 12, 1995, she married Michael J. Luhtala in Wausau.  They built a life together and Mike stood by Cathy's side throughout her battle with Non Hodgkins Lymphoma until the very end.

Cathy was employed at Liberty Mutual Insurance as Director of Product Analysis until her retirement in January 2021.  She was a volunteer for Wausau Area Mobile Meals and enjoyed traveling, cooking, watching movies, reading, listening to music and was an avid Green Bay Packer fan.  Most of all, she loved to spend time with her family especially during the holidays.  She loved making Thanksgiving dinner for her extended family.

Survivors include her parents, Harry III and LuAnn Spanton, Weston; two children, James (Jana) Schneider, Sturgeon Bay and Samantha Schneider, Wausau; four grandchildren, Mckenzie Daoust, Noah and Chimaira Schneider and Liam Yates; three brothers, Luke (Monica) Spanton, Germantown, Mark Spanton, San Francisco, CA and Tom (Carolina) Spanton, Yuma, AZ; her mother-in-law, Sandra (Mike) Volhard, Wausau; and many relatives and friends.

She was preceded in death by her father-in-law, Oliver Luhtala.  Her husband Mike passed away on February 28, 2023.

A celebration of Mike and Cathy’s life will be held at 3:00 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023 at Peterson/Kraemer Funeral Home, 1302 Sixth Street, Wausau.  Rev. Joy Nelson-Jeffers will officiate.  Visitation will be on Saturday from 1:00 p.m. until time of services at the funeral home.

The family would like to extend a special thank you to the staff at the Froedtert Center For Advanced Care and the staff at Aspirus Cancer Care for the outstanding care and support for Cathy and her family.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be directed to Leukemia & Lymphoma Society (www.lls.org) in Cathy’s name.