If It Can Be Done, Then Count on Cathy Fernandez to Do It

By Ruth Ann Ruiz

The Post Newspaper Features Editor

Some people have a cheerful, can-do spirit and some people have a cheerful “I’ll get this job done no matter what spirit.” Cathy Fernandez gets the job done with a smile no matter what. If she can stand and breathe, she will find a way to follow through with her commitments. 

Stepping onto the exterior stairs of her home early on July 10, Fernandez’ foot missed the first step, and she went tumbling down 14 stairs. Her face was bleeding and bruises covered her from head to toe. Surprisingly, she cleaned up and proceeded to deliver breakfast to Galveston Regional Chamber’s July network breakfast.

Lorraine Grubbs, membership director for GRCC recalled the morning.

“She came to the meeting early (7:15am) with her husband following behind her arms full of food,” said Grubbs. “I immediately noted a huge bump on her forehead, her nose plugged up with Kleenex and as she held her wrist, you could see the unnatural angle of it indicating a probable break.  

“I was stunned and asked what happened,” Grubbs continued.  “She said she had missed a step and fell down several stairs. ‘Why are you here and not at the emergency room?’ I asked her, and she said ‘I didn’t want to leave you without breakfast. I committed to being the breakfast host and I didn’t want to let you down.’  As we were talking, her sweet husband delivered and set up a beautiful breakfast spread for 40 people.  And, the breakfast was delicious.”

“My husband put on his superhero cape the day I fell and made sure I was able to get everything done and he insisted I had to go to the hospital,” said Cathy. 

Her next stop was UTMB, where she learned her wrist and nose were broken. Fernandez left the hospital with her lower arm in a cast and went directly to work at The Tasting Room in Galveston.  

Working in events has been a dream for Fernandez for as far back as she can remember. In May, she landed her dream position as events director at the Tasting Room in Galveston. 

Pursuit of her dream job started when she left Louisiana in 2017 and came to live in Galveston, another of her dreams. “I had first seen the waves of the ocean when I was four years old and I just felt something special,” said Fernandez. “I always said when my babies are raised, I’m going to go live by the water.”  

Fernandez doesn’t just enjoy the beach; she loves water and its soothing effect on her. “I can look at a puddle, a creek, a lake or the ocean and I just feel so calm,” she said. 

Her dream job is more than just planning events, it’s working several stories off the ground in a room filled with windows and a view of the Gulf of Mexico from every window. 

“I’m on top of the world here, I am surrounded by water,” said Fernandez.

Since stepping into her role as event director, Fernandez has organized numerous private events. She’s building a following with Taco Tuesday Nights and trying other community activities at the Tasting Room.

One of her upcoming events is Ball High School class of 1971 50^th Anniversary reunion. “I’m so excited to be a part of this event,” said Fernandez.

The planning team is also happy to work with her. “There is nothing we need that Cathy won’t get for us,” said Avys M. Poe, an alumnus from Ball High’s 1971 graduation class. “She is really fantastic, and I appreciate working with her,” she added. 

With her arm in a cast, she calls on her husband, John Fernandez, to give her a hand, occasionally moving some of the things she can’t move or making a minor repair right before an event. “I support her in everything she does,” said John with a smile as he reached out and touched her hand. 

John and Cathy were married on a beach, of course. “We went to Maui for 11 days. We kind of eloped but everyone knew we were going to get married,” both shared. 

What Fernandez likes most about her job are the people she serves, “I just love meeting people and getting to know them. If you can be part of someone’s special event, that’s just grandiose!” she exclaimed. 

Cathy will host the GRCC evening mixer on July 29 at the Tasting Room. Perhaps the attendees will give her a repeat of the standing ovation they gave her on July 10 which she missed because she was getting medical attention for her injuries.