Cateena Harp

October 17, 2023

Cateena Larue Harp, age 81, passed away on October 17 in San Antonio. “Teena” was born in Cisco, Texas, in 1942, the daughter of Stroud and Helen McMurry. She was preceded in death by her parents and by her brother Murry McMurry; she is survived by her sister Jude McMurry, niece Dante Huff, and many cousins. As a teenager, Cateena had a brush with death in a serious automobile accident that left her in a coma for weeks, but she ultimately made a complete recovery and led a full life. She attended McLean High School in the Texas panhandle, secretarial school in Amarillo, then traversed Texas for several years with a professional photographer taking family portraits. That skill led her to Nevada, where she worked as the “house” photographer at casino entertainment shows on the Las Vegas Strip. She married a coworker there, Dale Hudson, and moved with him to Richmond, Virginia, where he became a state trooper. Cateena remained in Virginia after they divorced, living in a scenic cottage on Chesapeake Bay with her three cats while working as a secretary for the city government. In 1971, she returned to west Texas, became a realtor in the town of Andrews, and there married William (Bill) Harp, mixing affection and family drama for years until his death in 2002.

In the mid-1980s, Cateena was diagnosed with bipolar disorder, which was treated successfully with medication for the rest of her life. In addition to serving for years as a ‘Pink Lady’ in the Andrews County Hospital, she was a phone volunteer for a west

Texas religious television broadcast, and became the main caregiver for her aging mother who passed away in 2005. Cateena then embarked on some long-postponed vacation travel, including trips to the mountains in Colorado and several tours of the holy land in Israel and Egypt, and she moved to San Antonio in 2019 to be closer to family.

A statuesque beauty, Cateena stood nearly 6 feet tall (and with her bouffant hairstyles, even taller), and she possessed the grace of a southern lady and the posture of a fashion model. About twelve years ago she began losing strength in her legs, then required a wheelchair, and finally was completely bedridden with severe arthritis. She never had children, but over the years her many “fur babies” –multiple cats and dogs, and once even a pet raccoon, filled her life with love. Four of those pets – her little dogs Amiga and Contessa, and cats Frisky and Fluffy – survive her, now in homes with other family and friends. She also leaves behind several long-time special friendships, including Mavis (“Catty”) Ingram, and Joseph and Di Mendez. She also enjoyed the company of her many caregivers at her final residence, Carol Ann’s Home. No visitation or funeral service is planned, but donations in her honor are welcome to the charity of your choice.