Schutz, Catherine

Oakland Tribune's Catherine Schutz, known for her love of the theater, has died at age 59 from breast cancer. She was assistant features editor from 1997 until last year when she went on medical leave. After graduating from UC Berkeley in the late 1960s, she was a reporter and city editor at the Berkeley Daily Gazette. She also worked for the Richmond Independent before coming to the Oakland Tribune, where she was an assistant city editor and city editor in the 1990s. An obituary in the Tribune points out that community theater was her passion. Since 1976, she had been involved with the Contra Costa Civic Theater where, in her own words, she served as a "chorus girl, costumiere, board member, photographer, publicist and all-around utility infielder.