Catherine Margaret Fairbanks Rayburn was born in 1945 in New York City to Elaine and Courtney Stone. Her early years were spent in New York, New Jersey, Delray Beach, Hollywood, and Fort Lauderdale before settling in Eau Gallie in 1955 where her interest in animals, science, and genetics grew. She earned her bachelors from University of Florida while working at NASA, including projects for the Gemini program, during her summers at home and later graduated with a master's degree in zoology from the University of Massachusetts, a rare woman scientist at the time.

She then moved back to Florida to start a research position at the University of Florida Medical School. During this time she traveled extensively in Europe and later met her husband Dr. Robert L. Rayburn at the medical school. After their wedding in 1972, they welcomed their children David, Susan, and Lara.

While working in medical research she studied food poisoning in the University of Florida Department of Pathology and pH values with Dr. Mare, leading to a new glaucoma treatment. At Baylor Universtiy she ran the electron microscope and worked with Dr. De Bakey, the famed bypass heart surgeon. Later at the University of Utah, used an atomic absorption machine to study the nutritional content of formula and mother's milk.

After her divorce in 1985 she moved back to Brevard County to be closer to her family.  She edited the last ten books written by her mother and collaborated with her on her mother's last book "Angels in the Bible".  Other positions she held in Brevard include teaching Anatomy and Physiology, Biology, and Chemistry at Brevard Community College, now Eastern Florida State College, designing homes for Mike Malone Construction, and as a travel agent with the Morris Travel Agency. She then took care of two of her grandchildren for almost 10 years.

Her recent hobbies included genealogy, knitting, crocheting, embroidery, and classical piano. She is known by her family as someone who always put family first, bringing everyone one together for cherished family photos, making sure to celebrate each birthday and milestone, creating thoughtful gifts for her grandchildren, and documenting the family's past through genealogy. She will be dearly missed.

She is survived by her children David Rayburn, Susan Cimino, and Lara Eventide, her four grandchildren, her sisters Pam Webb and Vicky Mattson, and her Aunt Beatrice Cayzer.

In lieu of flowers please make a donation to the Cape Canaveral Penwomen Scholoarship Fund: http://canaveralpenwomen.org/memorial-donations.html