Tacoma City Council member Catherine Ushka has died. She’s remembered as fierce advocate

Tacoma City Council member Catherine Ushka has died, the city announced in a news release Thursday morning. She was 55.

Ushka, who died Wednesday, served District 4 since being elected to council in 2017. After being reelected, she was selected in 2022 to serve as deputy mayor. That September, she announced that she had been diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.

Ushka’s loved ones mourned her in a Thursday social-media post.

“It’s with a heavy heart that we share the passing of our beloved Mom, Partner and Friend Catherine,” the 9:39 a.m. post on Ushka’s Facebook reads. “Her warmth, love, and presence will forever be cherished. As we navigate this difficult time, let’s hold onto the memories that brought us joy and comfort. Your love and prayers are deeply appreciated as we mourn this profound loss. We will share details on her celebration soon.”

A U.S. Navy Reserve veteran, Ushka served eight years on the Tacoma Public Schools board — three years as its president, according to the city of Tacoma news release. She was a community leader even before her first council term.

Last month a park was renamed for her: Gas Station Park is now called “Catherine Ushka’s Gas Station Park.”

Mayor Victoria Woodards said the city is “deeply saddened” by Ushka’s death.

“She will be remembered by many for her works seen and unseen,” Woodards said in the city’s news release. “Here in Tacoma, she will be especially remembered for her fierce advocacy for the Eastside and South End, her willingness to stand for those whose voices are so often left out, and putting her hands in the dirt as well as rising to the highest levels of policy to make lasting change.”

Many residents grieved Ushka in posts on social media.

One Facebook user wrote that they admired the city leader for her devotion, marking her death as a “huge loss for South/East Tacoma.” Another praised her as a “great champion” of the city and their neighborhood. A different commenter called Ushka’s contributions “immeasurable.”

Ushka spearheaded the push to get funding to make over the toxic lot that would eventually become her namesake park; the space had once hosted a gas station. She brought together the South End Neighborhood Council, the city and Metro Parks for the effort.

“I’m overwhelmed and amazed,” Ushka told The News Tribune after the park-renaming ceremony in mid-April. “I do the work for community because I believe in community, and I’m never looking for anything back. I mean, they named a park after me. How can I be anything but blessed by that?”

Tacoma community pays tribute to Ushka city leader

District 2 City Council member Sarah Rumbaugh paid tribute to her late colleague in a Facebook post.

“Catherine, you were a special person who brought us together in so many ways,” Rumbaugh wrote late Thursday morning. “I loved your fire, passion, persistence and love you had for all of us. My heart is heavy and sad. I have tons of memories and will keep you in my thoughts. In Judaism we say ‘May her memory before blessing.’”

Leaders throughout Pierce County on Thursday honored Ushka’s legacy.

Chantell Harmon Reed, director of the local health department, remembered Ushka’s work as Board of Health chair.

“She was tirelessly committed to the Department’s mission of protecting and improving our community, especially in health equity and racial justice,” Reed said in a statement posted to the Tacoma-Pierce County Health Department’s website. “Her legacy will continue to influence our Health Department for years to come.”

Reed noted that Ushka served as chair throughout the COVID-19 pandemic and during the social-justice movement sparked by the deaths of Manuel Ellis and George Floyd in police custody. As board leader, Ushka decried racism as a crisis in the public-heath realm, Reed said, even while fighting her own illness.

David Strong, executive director of the county’s National Alliance on Mental Illness affiliate, commemorated Ushka on the social-media platform X, formerly known as Twitter.

“We lost a community servant leader, Catherine Ushka, who always had a smile on her face and words of encouragement,” Strong wrote early Thursday afternoon. “I was able to share these words with the family as we commend her back to God. ‘but he shall give his angels charge over you to keep you in all your ways.’”

Derek Young, interim executive director of the Washington State Association of Counties, called Ushka’s death a “tremendous loss” for the region in a post on X.

“Councilmember Ushka was a fierce advocate for her community,” Young said. “I had the opportunity to serve with her on the Board of Health, where she was a steady leader in the most challenging times and a good friend.”

Ushka is survived by her partner, Marty; daughter, Amelia; son, Gus; brother, David, and father, Mike.