TACOMA, Wash. — The Tacoma City Council is mourning the passing of councilmember Catherine Ushka.
Ushka was elected to the District 4 seat of the Tacoma City Council in 2017. After Ushka was re-elected to another four-year term on the city council, she was appointed to serve as deputy mayor in 2022.
Ushka announced in September 2022 that she was diagnosed with stage 3 cervical cancer.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Council Member Catherine Ushka,” said Victoria Woodards, Tacoma mayor. “She will be remembered by many for her works seen and unseen. 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.”
Ushka served in the U.S. Navy Reserve, deploying after Sept. 11, 2001. She also served eight years including three years as president of the Tacoma Public Schools Board of Directors. Before she was elected to the city council, Ushka was involved in several community leadership roles.
Ushka is survived by her daughter Amelia, son Gus, father Mike, brother David and partner Marty.
"We are greatly saddened to learn that our Board of Health Chair, Catherine Ushka, has passed away," said Chantell Harmon Reed, Tacoma Pierce County director of public health. "In only a short time under her Board leadership, her legacy is clear. She was tirelessly committed to the Department’s mission of protecting and improving our community, especially in health equity and racial justice. Her legacy will continue to influence our Health Department for years to come."