Catherine Nissen

Nissen, Catherine (Hinickle) Hayes MIDDLETON Catherine (Hinickle) Hayes Nissen, age 86, of Middleton, passed away on Thursday, Jan. 3, 2008, at Clarebridge Assisted Living. She was born on Nov. 29, 1921, in Milwaukee, the daughter of Emma (Jensen) and Fredrick Hinickle, Sr. Cathy was married to Keith James Hayes in 1940 in Madison, where both graduated from the University of Wisconsin in 1942. In 1951, she authored The Ape In Our House, detailing the Hayes work with the home-raised chimpanzee, Viki. Their groundbreaking research led to a better understanding of primate communication and human language acquisition. Following her marriage to Henry W. Nissen, she attended the University of Chicago Medical School. For nearly 30 years she was a medical writer and a clinical researcher at G.D. Searle and Co. Pharmaceuticals. In her very active retirement during the 1990s, she contributed greatly to the life and work of her beloved Reba Place Church, in Evanston, Ill. She leaves behind daughter, Diana and son-in-law, Kermit Hovey; and three grandchildren whom she adored, Christine, Joseph, and Cynthia Hovey. She is also survived by her brother, Fred; and niece, Lisa Hinickle. She is preceded in death by both parents; and both spouses; as well as her cherished nephew, Jason. Memorial services in Middleton and Evanston, Ill. are planned for this spring. Please consider a memorial gift to HospiceCare, Inc. of Wisconsin or the Wisconsin Registry for Alzheimers Prevention. Thank you to the staff of Clarebridge and HospiceCare for helping Cathy spend her final days in dignity and comfort.