THE FOREIGN SERVICE JOURNAL | SEPTEMBER-OCTOBER 2026 73 In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Mr. Leonard’s memory to the International Myeloma Foundation or ProMujer. n Donald Eugene Mudd, 89, a retired Foreign Service officer, died on May 20, 2026, in Colorado Springs, Colo. As recorded by Mr. Mudd, himself, in notes for his obituary: “Born at an early age (he was three months premature) on December 25, 1936, Mr. Mudd grew up in St. Augustine, Fla. He colleged lightly in Washington, D.C., and then entered the U.S. Foreign Service (in 1962).” His overseas postings included Lima, twice (1963–1965 and 1983–1986), Taipei (1965–1967), Manila (1967–1969), La Paz (1972–1974), Damascus (1974–1976), Monterrey (1976–1979), Frankfurt (1986– 1988), and Caracas (1988–1990). In Washington, D.C., Mr. Mudd had assignments at the Pentagon and the Armed Forces Staff College (1970–1972, 1979–1983). He received multiple citations for distinguished service from the State Department and other agencies in which he served. Mr. Mudd retired from the Foreign Service in 1990. He and his wife, Carol, raised two children. “Hobbies included whitewater kayaking, scuba, judo, and classical music,” Mr. Mudd stated in his notes, adding: “While this was all a convenient cover, he actually used the time to practice the art of woodblock carving, making block prints in the traditional Japanese method.” His model was the famous Hokusai (1760–1849) who, at the age of 70-something, changed his artist’s signature on his prints to read “old man crazy about drawing.” As family members recall, Mr. Mudd was all this, and more. An intensely private man who rarely expressed his feelings, he revealed them instead through his art and thoughtful acts. He brought humor, intensity, immense patience, and outstanding intelligence and empathy to everything he did. He had a great interest in photography and in people and nature—especially birds. He became a dedicated bird-watcher and superbly talented bird photographer in his later years, though, as son Douglas recalls, “Photography was a passion for him for as long as I can remember, and we always had a darkroom wherever we lived, until the advent of digital photography.” Mr. Mudd’s legacy is his art and the memories he has left with all those he influenced during his long and productive life. He is survived by his wife, Carol; two sons, Doug and Scott; and a granddaughter, Loren Carol Mudd. n Catherine “Cathy” Anne Wright Norris, 91, the spouse of retired USAID Foreign Service Officer James A. Norris, died peacefully at home in Arlington, Va., on June 14, 2026, from complications related to Parkinson’s disease. Ms. Norris was born on April 21, 1935, in Dalton, Ga., the eldest child of Hubert Davis Wright and Genevieve Pontrich Wright. The family lived in Charleston, S.C., Arlington, Va., and Norfolk, Va., before moving to Tokyo in 1946, which marked the beginning of Ms. Norris’ love of travel and exploring other cultures. Returning to Norfolk in 1949, she graduated as salutatorian of Granby High School, Class of 1953, where she was also the editor of the school newspaper and president of the Spanish club. She graduated Phi Beta Kappa with a bachelor’s degree in economics from Duke University in 1957. After working for the Federal Reserve in the Bureau of Research and Statistics in Washington, D.C., Ms. Norris drove cross-country to California, where she began graduate courses in economics at UC Berkeley in 1959. There, in 1961, she met Jim Norris, who was pursuing a PhD in chemistry. The couple married in 1963 and made their way to Boston, where Mr. Norris was a post-doctoral fellow in the MIT chemistry department and began his study of economics. They welcomed their first child and then started their life overseas in 1966, the year after Mr. Norris began his career with the U.S. Agency for International Development. Over the next 37 years, the Norrises and their three children lived and worked in Tunisia, Indonesia, Egypt, Bangladesh, Pakistan, Russia, and Egypt (again), before retiring to Arlington, Va. Ms. Norris oversaw the landscaping of the Joint Embassy School campuses in Jakarta; trained Bangladesh Central Bank employees in the use of computers; managed the computerization of an agricultural university in Pakistan; and, as a contractor for USAID in Moscow, managed the development and implementation of an agricultural project in Russia. She loved a competitive game of tennis; cooking and enjoying gourmet meals with friends and family; staying up all night to finish a book; discussing current events, movies, art, history, and politics; and planning and completing multiple home and garden renovations. She leaves behind many lifelong friends from college, graduate school, and her years of living overseas. Ms. Norris is survived by her husband of 63 years and dedicated caregiver for the past two and a half years, Jim; children, Suzanne Norris (and spouse, Luca) Bronzi, Erica Norris (and spouse, David) Perlman, and James Wright (and spouse, Melinda) Norris; and six grandchildren, Giulia Bronzi, Olivia Bronzi, Sofia Perlman,
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