MACPHERSON OWENS, Catherine

July 29, 1978 – November 16, 2021

Catherine Owens embodied her passion for civil engineering through her advancement of Atlanta’s legacy of trails and alternate transportation. Her approach to engineering was deeply informed by art, soul, and public service. She had a love of urban environments and an eye for their distinct beauty.

The majority of Catherine’s career centered on her work with the Atlanta Beltline, and she often rode her bike on the trails to and from work.

Catherine showed an aptitude for mechanics and engineering from an early age. When things in the house would break, a young Catherine would fix them, driven by a curiosity about how things worked and by a desire to make them work better.

Catherine attended the Georgia Institute of Technology and graduated in 2001 with a degree in Civil Engineering. Catherine was a talented and focused rower on the Georgia Tech crew team.

On February 9th, 2008, Catherine married the love of her life, Nathan Koskovich. During their 13 years of marriage the couple lived in various neighborhoods in Atlanta, eventually buying a house in Kirkwood. They loved the convenience and culture they found in the city, walking and biking to museums, parks, restaurants, and Georgia Tech football games.

The team at Atlanta Beltline, Inc (ABI) was so impressed with her previous work with Simpson Gumpertz & Heger and MACTEC that they recruited her to join their team as the Senior Civil Engineer in 2012. Catherine would go on to become Principal Engineer and then Interim Program Director. Though initially nervous about public speaking, Catherine quickly commanded rooms of a hundred people or more. Whether speaking one-on-one or to a packed room, Catherine gave everyone her full attention.

At ABI, she oversaw the designs of the Westside Trail, the Southside Trail, and the Northeast Trail. As a result of her work, ABI was awarded an $18-million grant in 2013 to support the construction of the Westside Trail. Catherine’s work and dedication played heavily into ABI’S many accolades. Catherine herself was recognized as one of Engineering Georgia Magazine’s 100 Influential Women to Know in 2018. Catherine’s passions included exceptional architecture, travel, Legos, her nieces and nephews, Liz Lemon, and the traditional Valentine’s Day dinner she and Nathan enjoyed every year at Eats.

She is survived by her husband Nathan Koskovich AIA, her mother Janet Macpherson Owens, her father Dr. Bernard James Owens III and his wife Carolyn Owens, her brother, the Rev. Bernard J Owens IV and his wife, the Rev. Jo Nygard Owens, and niece and nephew Amelia Catherine and Graham Jameson Owens.

Catherine’s memorial will be on Saturday, December 4th at 3 PM, at 725 Ponce de Leon Avenue on the second floor terrace (Lobby level) overlooking the Eastside Trail and North Avenue Plaza.

The Memorial will include a service, followed by a brief parade along the trail which will loop back to 725 where memories will be shared and light hor d’oeuvres served.

In lieu of flowers, please consider giving to the Catherine Macpherson Owens Beltline Fund or Glory Ridge.

PEARMAN, Dorothy

Age 91, of Decatur, GA, passed November 25, 2021. Gregory B. Levett & Sons Funeral Home, Decatur, GA.