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WINNSBORO — Catherine Nichols Goff passed away peacefully on October 19, 2012 after an extended illness.

She was the only child of William Wesley (Willie) and Hattie Sue Nichols, and was born on February 17, 1927, in the Hollywood section of Saluda County.

She is the widow of Arthur Laymond Goff, who passed away in July, 2010.

She grew up on the family farm and attended Hollywood High School, graduating in 1944.

Goff left home to attend Winthrop College where she majored in Education, graduating in 1948.

She married in December, 1948, and began teaching at Six Mile High School while her new husband attended college.

When he finished Clemson in 1949, they began a dual career in education that spanned 35 years in the South Carolina public school system.

Goff taught social studies and served as guidance counselor at Six Mile, Bush River School, Ridge Spring-Monetta, Irmo, Swansea, and finally, Fairfield County.

Her students will remember her as a thoughtful and concerned educator who always had time to help or listen, whichever was needed.

Goff has been a member of First Methodist Church of Winnsboro for 43 years where she actively attended until health issues prevented her from doing so.

Goff had two children, Larry (wife, Dale), born on June 27, 1950, and Linda, born on January 27, 1956.

She has three grandsons, Joel, Wesley and Daniel Goff (wife, Kellie), and a great-granddaughter, Page McGinn Goff.

Goff had been ill for many years and was able to remain in her home due to the attention of devoted caregivers.

Those include Tabitha Costenbader, Mary Ann Moyer, and Ruth Jordan currently, and in the past, Linda Gail Spivey, Diane Denton, Loretha Miller, and Lucy Brown.

The family will be forever grateful for the loving care they provided as Goff’s health continued to decline.

Although her health was poor in past years, her spirit was still strong, and she always loved to have her family around her. She seemed to be able to withstand difficult health issues, and continue on, fighting back from a poor prognosis.

In her last days, when she could not communicate, she would still sing along with favorite hymns.

We will miss her smile, her good nature and her kind manner.

A special thanks to Agape Hospice, who cared for her so well in the last year, particularly her nurse, Jennifer Stokes, and Monica Smith.

Her funeral service will be held at 4 p.m. at Ramey Funeral Home Chapel, 202 N. Rudolph Street, Saluda on Tuesday, Oct. 23. Visitation will be from 3 p.m.-4 p.m. before the service.

In addition to flowers, memorials may be made to First Methodist Church of Winnsboro, 109 West College Street, Winnsboro.