Tacoma City Councilmember Catherine Ushka has died, the city announced Thursday. She was 55.
Ushka served District 4 in Tacoma for six years and was appointed deputy mayor in 2022. That same year, she announced she was diagnosed with Stage 3 cervical cancer.
“What this experience is affirming for me is the importance of community,” Ushka wrote online while announcing her diagnosis. “The support I have received thus far from the incredible people that surround me reminds me that I am not alone.”
She died Wednesday night, city spokesperson Maria Lee said.
Ushka served in the U.S. Navy Reserve after Sept. 11, 2001. She also served eight years — including three years as president — on the Tacoma Public Schools board of directors.
“We are deeply saddened by the loss of Council Member Catherine Ushka,” said Mayor Victoria Woodards in a statement. “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 is survived by her daughter, Amelia; son, Gus; partner, Marty; father, Mike; and brother, David.