Service is a Family Affair

Although Cathy Murray Lattimer ’83 retired six years ago, she’s hardly taking it easy. She volunteers 15-20 hours a week, making the world better one volunteer shift at a time. It’s a way of life instilled in her by her parents, Rosemary and the late Michael Murray. She also taught her own children to serve others while they were growing up in Fishers, Indiana. Currently, she offers her time and talents to Indianapolis-area non-profits like Random Acts of Flowers, Fishers Youth Initiative, and Indiana Sports Corp.

 

“My parents were always very generous in helping people, but they weren’t showy about it,” Lattimer said. “I always remember my dad saying, ‘I want to make things better than they were for me, and I want them better for you, and we need to make the world better.’ It really started from them.” 

 

Lattimer’s mom earned a three-year hospital nursing degree from St. Elizabeth Hospital School of Nursing in Chicago, Illinois and returned to school to finish her degree at Barat College in Scientific Studies and Community Health while Cathy was in 8th grade. At age 86, her mother still volunteers with the American Association of University Women in Illinois. “She remained involved in giving vaccines, in addition to volunteering with the American Cancer Society,” Lattimer said. Her father worked multiple jobs, including at Illinois Bell, and raised funds for Toys for Tots at the stops he made. “My dad instilled that belief in us, which a lot of people didn't know about until he passed away and we wrote his obituary,” she added.

 

Cathy and her husband Richard (ND ’81), raised three children: Christopher (ND ’16), 33; Erin (ND ’17), 30; and Tim, 29, a graduate of DePaul University, Chicago. While their children were growing up, giving back became a family affair: “We would do things in downtown Indianapolis, like distributing food to the homeless, and we've volunteered at the food pantry at our church for 15 years,” she said. She and her husband still volunteer at their church food pantry at St. Louis de Montfort Catholic Church. 

 

At Saint Mary’s, Lattimer earned her bachelor of business administration in accounting and international business. She was also a varsity swimmer at the College. While hosting members of the Saint Mary’s Choir a few years ago at spring break, the students asked Lattimer about the activities she participated in while she was at Saint Mary’s. She told them she was a varsity swimmer and that Regina Hall once had a pool in the middle.They reacted with disbelief. “They had no idea that there was ever a swim team,” she laughed.

 

In addition to her myriad volunteer activities, Lattimer has a part-time job teaching swimming lessons at the Fishers YMCA. “It's really rewarding to teach adults who don’t know how to swim, because they're very motivated to learn. And if I have their kids in my other classes, the rivalry is even more fun," she said. 

 

After graduation, she moved to Indianapolis, joining Richard, who had moved there two years prior, and began her accounting career at GTE in Westfield, Indiana. There, she met fellow SMC alumna Jill Gillig Folstrom ’87, who sponsored Lattimer’s initiation into Tri Kappa, an Indiana-based philanthropic sorority with 142 chapters around the state. “I joined about 30 years ago when I moved to Indianapolis. It's a way to meet people, but also a way to branch out of your career path,” Lattimer said. Because of her accounting background, Lattimer spent two years as the chapter's treasurer, as well as the treasurer for the state convention. “When my daughter was younger, she would come and help me volunteer. When she graduated high school, she was initiated (into Tri Kappa) as well.” Her daughter now resides in California. 

 

One of Lattimer’s current volunteer endeavors is Random Acts of Flowers in Indianapolis, an organization whose mission is to repurpose leftover flowers from weddings, funerals, and grocery stores into bouquets for patients in area hospitals and nursing homes, giving a boost to patients’ emotional health and well-being. “We have a shift that does the preparation of the flowers, and then another shift that puts them together in arrangements. Then they're delivered to nursing homes, hospitals, and dialysis centers, just to bring some happiness to people,” Lattimer said. 
 

On Monday and Wednesday afternoons, Lattimer's role is to prepare the flowers by removing any unusable ones and grouping them by variety. On Tuesday and Thursday mornings, the bouquets are created, all arranged in donated vases. The arrangements are delivered by staff at the facilities, who choose the recipients most in need. In addition to building camaraderie and friendships with her fellow volunteers, the feedback she receives from the recipients is rewarding. “We will get notes back from people who have received the flowers about how it really brightened their day. So that always makes me feel appreciated,” Lattimer said.

 

An ongoing volunteer endeavor that started through Tri Kappa is the Summer Meal program of the Fishers Youth Initiative, an organization that supports Hamilton County young people with mentorship, meals, and tutoring through a connection of volunteers and programs. Every Tuesday afternoon, Lattimer is one of the many volunteers who pack and distribute summer meals to about 700 area students—those who qualify for free breakfasts and lunches at school—those who would otherwise go hungry during the summer months. There are three drive-throughs at a local supermarket where the meals are distributed. “They drive through and you get to talk to them for a minute. A grandparent said ‘I'm helping my daughter with five kids. You don't know how much this food means to us,’” Lattimer said.

 

Cathy and Richard have also volunteered with Indiana Sports Corp at high-profile sporting events in Indianapolis, like last summer’s US Olympic Swim Trials, the Big 10 Football Championships at Lucas Oil Stadium, and several Division 2 and 3 swimming and diving championships. 

 

For those seeking volunteer opportunities, Lattimer offers a bit of wisdom. “Don't be afraid to try something. If you don't like it, try a different one,” she said. “When I first retired, I tried a couple, and I thought, it's okay, but not really what I'm looking for. Just keep trying different things; it’s a great way to meet people. I have met parents who played soccer with my daughter. Another was an instructional assistant for my youngest son. We're retired now, but we're all connected again.”

 

July 29, 2025