Catherine Ellen Reno

Catherine “Cathy” Ellen Reno, 86, of New Castle, went home to be with the Lord on Thursday, June 11, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. She was born on April 18, 1940, in the home of her grandparents, the late Donald and Celia Strough, in Harrison Township, Henry County, to the late B. Eloise (Strough) Meece and Elmo J. Meece.

Cathy graduated from Walter P. Chrysler High School in 1958 and Porter Business College in Indianapolis in 1960. On December 30, 1961, she married the love of her life, the late Jackie (“Jack”) Reno. She became a military wife while stationed at Fort Sill, Oklahoma. This is where they welcomed their firstborn, Robin “Reno” Fleming (Michael), in 1963. After returning home to New Castle, their family grew with the addition of two more children: Jacquelyn Reno-Kriech (James) of New Castle and Jackie “Jack” Reno II (Donna) of Central City, Kentucky. In her younger years, Cathy spent countless days on the softball diamonds, coaching Little League teams for her daughters. She devoted many hours to attending every sporting event and band function her children and grandchildren participated in. She was their number one fan—always cheering from the bleachers and encouraging them. On one memorable occasion, she even offered a referee her glasses when she felt he was not seeing the game clearly. She was nearly thrown out of that game.

Cathy worked for many years as the administrative office manager at the Henry Township Trustee’s Office. In her later years, she embraced her role as “Grandma Katie,” which later became “Gigi.” She took great joy in helping raise and nurture her grandchildren, leaving a lasting impact on each of them: Seth Michael Fleming (Brittany) of Acton, Indiana; Spencer Reno Fleming (Samm) of Greenfield, Indiana; Sydney Catherine “Fleming” Dungey (Tyler) of New Castle, Indiana; Tressa Danielle Reno of Central City, Clarksville, Tn. and Alexandria Catherine Reno of New Castle, Indiana. She was also blessed with three great-grandsons: Rainer Otley and Vesper Murray Dungey of New Castle, Indiana, and Jack Edward Fleming of Greenfield, Indiana.

In addition to her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren, Cathy is survived by her sisters-in-law, Norma Jean Reuter of New Castle and Mary Elizabeth Reno of Winchester, Indiana, as well as several nieces and nephews.

In addition to her husband, parents, and grandparents, she was preceded in death by a very special aunt, Mary Ellen Holdren of Sulphur Springs, Indiana; her sisters and brothers-in-law, Joyce and Welby Popplewell and Lois and Otis Dutton of Russell Springs, Kentucky; her brothers and sisters-in-law, Ruben “RF” and Nita Meece of Russell Springs, Kentucky, and Ralph Henry and Huguette Strough of Hazelwood, Missouri; her brothers-in-law, Lawrence Michael Reuter of New Castle and Raymon Lee Reno of Winchester; her sister-in-law, Geneva Vincent of New Castle; nephews, Cliff Dutton of Russell Springs,Ky., Larry Reuter of Pocahontas, Tennessee, Dominique Strough of St. Charles, Missouri, and David Reno of Winchester, Indiana; and nieces, Melody Coffey of Russell Springs, Kentucky, and Amy Beth “Vincent” Eversole of New Castle.

Cathy found joy in the simple things in life and possessed many artistic talents. As a family, they camped across the United States, sharing with their children the beauty of the country. Later in life, she traveled on the back of a motorcycle with her husband guiding the way, visiting every Indiana State Park and many national parks throughout the country.

Family and friends are invited to gather for visitation at Hinsey-Brown Funeral Service in New Castle from 12pm to 2pm on Thursday, July 2, 2026, service to begin at 2pm with a graveside service to follow immediately at South Mound Cemetery, West Lawn Addition. Condolences and memories of Cathy may be shared at www.hinsey-brown.com. Memorial contributions may be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, P.O. Box 1893, Memphis, TN, 38101-2132 or Ambassadors for God’s Creatures on their Facebook page, thru PayPal ambassadorsforgodscreatures@yahoo.com or by mail, PO Box 31, Pendleton 46064. 

The family would like to express their Gratitude to the Nursing and Care Technician staff at Henry Community Health, Intensive Care Unit, Nurse Practitioner Christy Moore-Franco, Dr. John Davisson and Dr. Charles Marting for their compassionate care provided to our mother.