Cathy Willis Coakley

Sad news of an Irish-born member of the bluegrass scene in the United States: Ira Gitlin reports on the IBMA-L e-mail list:

Cathy Willis Coakley, a bass player and singer in the Washington, DC, area since the 1980s, died of cancer this past Thursday. She was a native of Ireland, and had lived in the San Francisco area before moving east. Cathy played with local bands including Red Toad Road, Too Far Gone, and Badly Bent. She was a good picker, a good wife and mother, and a good friend.