In Memory of Kathy

Your whole world can change in an instant and Sunday morning it changed drastically for two of my very best friends. My college roommate, Jess, and her brother, Tom, were in town visiting and they received the phone call you never want to get — their Mother, Kathy, had suddenly passed away. With one phone call, their lives have been changed forever.
I was with Tom when he got the news. A trip out for breakfast quickly became the worst moment of his life. It’s incredibly hard to watch people you care about receive the worst news a person can get. Kathy was only 60 years old. At this time, her cause of death is unknown.
I’m a better person for having known Kathy. I first met her when I was 20 years old. She let me live with her and her family one summer in Florida while I worked an internship. She treated me like her own daughter. From the moment you met Kathy, she was warm, welcoming, and put you at ease. She touched so many lives. She took a personal interest in everyone that she met, going to great lengths to help you if she could. She changed the course of so many people’s lives, including my own.
After college, her daughter came out to her as a lesbian. Kathy accepted Jess no matter what and supported her. This past summer, I was lucky enough to officiate Jess’s wedding to her wife, Kim. Kathy hosted us all at her house throughout the wedding weekend and was beaming with pride on Jess’s wedding day.
Jess and Kathy shared a very special mother-daughter bond. Jess always called her Mom “Yip.” I can hear her now saying “I love you, Yip!” Even though separated by many miles, they talked on the phone almost daily. It’s breaking my heart to hear the pain in my friend’s voice as she said today she doesn’t know how she will ever be able to be happy again. I hope that’s not true.
I don’t know why some of us are taken away for what seems like before our time. Kathy was still so young, vibrant and full of life. What I do know is that her star is shining bright somewhere and her spirit will live on in all of us who knew her. She taught me to accept people and love people with your whole heart. Kathy always liked that I wrote this column, so Kathy, this one is for you. I love you and thank you for teaching me about the kind of person I want to be.
My heart goes out to Jess, Tom, and their family. I love you all.