Catherine James Phillips passed peacefully on Thursday, February 13, 2025, after struggling with several recent health issues with her daughter, Jade, by her side.
A lifelong, twelfth-generation Newporter, she was born on St. Patrick’s Day in 1950 to Katherine Lawton and Arthur Curtiss James. Cathie attended Hazard Memorial School, St. Mary’s School and graduated from Rogers High School in 1968.
Cathie had a passion for advocating for women, and while working for Avid Airline Products, she worked tirelessly to unionize the plant to ensure fair pay and improve working conditions for the primarily female workforce. She proudly served as President of the International Association of Machinists and Aerospace Workers for over a decade. It was through this work that she realized her desire to become a paralegal. While working full-time, she attended classes at night, earning her paralegal degree from Johnson & Wales University in 1989.
Her work with the unions springboarded her to a position with the AFL-CIO’s Committee on Political Education, where she worked on Senator Claiborne Pell’s reelection campaign, believing that, through him, the lives of many Rhode Islanders would continue to be improved.
She also worked for several local attorneys, but it was her work with Colleen Hastings and her family law practice that reignited her passion for helping women. Cathie had volunteered for the Women’s Resource Center before joining their staff as the office manager. Later, wanting to take a more active role in advocacy, she accepted a position at Stanley Street Treatment and Resources (SSTAR) Women’s Center, where she served as their Legal Advocate. In this role, she helped survivors of domestic violence and sexual assault navigate the complex legal system, and she presented educational in-services for various organizations, including police departments, medical staff, and other public agencies. She also served on several social service boards. Her compassion and unswerving dedication to the women she served, regardless of their race, religion, economic status, or circumstance, inspired many. Upon her retirement from the Women’s Center, she continued to support their mission, attending fundraisers and providing advocacy and resources for those around her.
Throughout her life, she enjoyed camping, boating, baking, and working alongside her father and husband Scott, as they renovated her family home. A skilled Jill-of-all-trades, Cathie enjoyed working with her hands. Later in life, she began creating one-of-a-kind greeting cards for friends and family. If you ever received a “Cathie Card,” you knew that she was sending a heartfelt message to someone she appreciated.
She also delighted in her grandson, Owen, whom she loved to no end. A constant presence in his life, she doted on him, sharing secret family recipes with him as they spent countless hours in the kitchen.
Cathie is survived by her daughter, Jade Katherine Phillips; her grandson, Owen Scott Sibya; her brother-in-law, Richard Ruggeri; her nieces, Whitney and Stacey Ruggeri; her great-niece, Riley Young; great-nephew, Nathaniel Young, as well as Owen’s father, J. Scott Sibya; and many friends who she considered family. She is predeceased by her parents, Kay and Curtiss James; her husband, Scott Phillips; and her sister, Paula “Tisa” Ruggeri.
Visiting Hours will be 4pm-6:30pm on Friday, February 21,2025 at Memorial Funeral Home, 375 Broadway, Newport, with a Celebration of Life to follow at 6:30 pm in the funeral home.
Donations may be made in Cathie’s memory to the Housing Hotline, https://www.newporthousinghotline.com/
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