Cathy Zavala Sanborn, 51, passed away peacefully at home, on November 27th, 2024 after courageously battling triple-negative breast cancer for over four years. Though her life was far too short, it was well-lived.
Cathy was born on April 2nd, 1973 to Joe and Rachel Zavala in Guatemala City, Guatemala while her father worked overseas for Bank of America. She spent the first few years of her life in Central America. When she was five her family moved back to California where she attended elementary through high school in the San Diego area. After graduating from Grossmont High School in 1991, Cathy attended UCLA (her father’s alma mater), earning a B.S. in psychobiology.
In 1996, Cathy moved to Ann Arbor, Michigan to pursue a Master’s of Public Health degree at the University of Michigan. While pursuing her degree she met her future husband, Phil Sanborn. They randomly met as housemates, became fast friends, fell in love, and married in the summer of 1998. Phil and Cathy’s dream of a family was fulfilled with the addition of Carina (2002), Mia (2004), and Gabe (2006).
After completing her master’s program and receiving her registered dietitian’s license in 1998, Cathy worked at CHASS Center in Detroit before moving on to work for the Wayne County WIC program, where she provided nutritional counseling and resources for low-income women and their families. In 2004, Cathy took a hiatus from full-time work to raise her children. In 2013, Cathy started working part-time for the Washtenaw County WIC program. In 2019, she accepted a Nutrition Specialist position at the University of Michigan Nutrition Obesity Research Center. Cathy was dedicated to her work and enjoyed working with others who shared her passion for public health.
Although work was important, Cathy made a point to stay engaged with her kids and was always happy to lend a helping hand with their activities. She was a regular parent volunteer at their preschool (Glacier Way) and elementary school (Bach Elementary). At Pioneer High School, Cathy could often be found helping with various band, track and field, and hockey functions.
Cathy greatly enjoyed traveling, the outdoors, and hiking. She coordinated numerous cross-country road trips, staying with friends and family, while visiting 48 states and dozens of national parks. Some of her other favorite vacations included a family Alaskan cruise, a 25th wedding anniversary trip to Hawaii, and a trip to Scotland and Ireland in the summer of 2024. Some of her favorite hikes included: Glacier National Park’s Hidden Lake trail, Maroon Bells in Colorado, the Grand Canyon, and Quiraing Circuit in Scotland. Her love for travel reflected her adventurous spirit and her eagerness to embrace new experiences.
Cathy’s focus on fitness began as a high school swimmer and runner. Over the years, she proved to be quite the athlete as she competed in numerous triathlons, trail races, road races, and marathons. Her favorite race was running the 2011 Boston Marathon with her husband. Cathy loved to push herself and the camaraderie that came from training and racing with her friends.
Cathy put great effort and love into everything she did, especially her friendships. Cathy was always looking for reasons to host gatherings at her home, often for Michigan football games. She cherished the friends she made through her early morning running group (Dawn Patrol), work, neighbors, Bach families, hockey families, and Phil’s U-M alumni crew. Cathy and her family are eternally grateful for all the love and support received from her extensive social network.
Cathy was preceded in death by her father, Joe Zavala, and mother, Rachel Zavala. She is survived by: her husband of 26 years, Phil Sanborn (Ann Arbor, MI); her three children: Carina (Seattle, WA), Mia (Pittsburgh, PA), and Gabe (Ann Arbor, MI); her four brothers: Dan and Feluca Zavala (Madrid, Spain), Mark and Victoria Zavala (Clifton, VA), Ronnie Zavala (El Paso, TX) and Ken Zavala (Hong Kong); and her sister-in-law: Kate Sanborn (Ypsilanti, MI).
Consistent with Cathy’s positive spirit, her wish was not to be mourned with a traditional funeral. A celebration of life is being planned for the spring. Friends and family will be notified with details. To honor her memory, please consider donating to the Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation.
