John O. Catey

John O. Catey, 92, of Richmond, passed away on Sunday afternoon, October 25, 2026. 

John was born on September 8, 1934, in Wayne County, Indiana, the son of Harold G. & Mary C. Moyer Catey. He was a lifelong resident of Wayne County and was a 1952 graduate of Williamsburg High School.

John farmed with his parents and worked for Converto Mfg. in Cambridge City after high school. He married the former Elsa Wuertemberger in May 1957. He also joined St. Paul’s Lutheran Church in Richmond in 1957, where he served on the church council and other committees within the church. He joined the Wayne County Sheriffs Department in 1958, when the old jail was still on South 2nd Street. The Cateys were blessed with two sons, Stan & Mike, in 1960 and 1962. They lived on the family farm on Washington Road before moving to Richmond in 1969 while John was serving as Chief Deputy. In 1970, John was elected Sheriff of Wayne County and was elected to a second term in 1974. He served 8 years as an appointed member of the Indiana Criminal Justice Planning Agency under two separate Governors. Due to Indiana term limits, John was not permitted to seek a third term as Sheriff so in 1978, he accepted an appointment as Executive Director of the Indiana Sheriffs Association. During his 21-year tenure as Executive Director, John was instrumental in establishing educational seminars, a weeklong seminar for newly elected Sheriffs, scholarship programs and youth leadership programs for the 92 Sheriff’s departments in Indiana. In 1986, John was elected to serve on the Wayne County Council. In 1994, John was elected to serve as a County Commissioner. He served 3 terms, during which time he was involved in overseeing construction of the present jail. John also was privileged to serve as a member of the Board of Directors of Reid Health, during which time the current hospital was being constructed.

John also enjoyed raising beef cattle on his farm south of Richmond. He and Elsa were proud of the successes of sons Stan & Mike and the enjoyment their families brought them for so many wonderful years. John & Elsa decided to downsize in 2021, so they sold their home on Farlow and moved into Richmond.

John will be missed by his wife, Elsa; sons, Stanley J. Catey & wife, Teresa and Michael J. Catey & wife, Mary; grandchildren, Olivia Reister (Adam), Paige Catey (Danny Rakad), Mackenzie Wallace (Jared), Becca Catey, Emma Catey and Nikolai Catey; great-grandchildren, Silas, Celia, Elise and Sadie Reister, and Caraway Rose Wallace.

John was preceded in death by his parents; and his brother, James M. Catey.

Visitation for John will be from 11:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m. on Friday, October 30, in St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 121 South 18th Street, Richmond. A funeral ceremony will begin at 1:00 p.m., with interment to follow in Lutherania Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions are encouraged for the Catey Family Donor Fund, c/o the Wayne County Foundation, 33 South 7th Street, Richmond, IN 47374 or to St. Paul’s Lutheran Church, 121 South 18th Street, Richmond, IN 47374.