Kathleen Marie Mansfield
1959-2004
As you know, Kathleen loved being in local city government and most importantly loved sharing the profession with schoolkids and graduate students who wanted to follow her into her noble (but often misunderstood) profession. She was usually the first to invite new professionals into the "old boys club" and to welcome them into their professional associations. She also knew that through outreach and diversity, her chosen profession would be stronger than ever.
The Foundation will continue that spirit.
- November 19 - the East West Gateway Council of Governments awarded Kathleen their Lifetime Achivement Award. See the Post below and on the Rodger Report.
- Read the story about Kathleen posted on the Scleroderma Network website. You can read the story HERE
- The City of Creve Coeur ran a very fitting tribute story about Kathleen in their August city newsletter. Read the article HERE (PDF)
Please also feel free to share this website with others: http://kathyreport.blogspot.com
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4 comments:
From Mark and Lesley Levin:
HOORAY! We have been silently following Kathy's progress and have been deeply moved by Roger's empathy and love for her. This is very good news today and we hope and pray that Kathy will be home soon. Lesley Has been saying a healing prayer for Kathy at Temple each week for the last 50 weeks. I think it is working.
Rodger
Susie and I are praying to give strength to you and Kathy.
Len & Susie Corzine
Rodger and Family,
I worked very briefly on a project for Corn Growers Assoc. and became aware of this site to stay current on the news about Kathy. I wanted to say how very sorry I am for your loss! I also wanted to share a story, and tell you how much just reading about how brave Kathy and your family have been has touched and inspired me.
Kathy's story reminded me very much of something I went through all too recently with my mother...
My mom was diagnosed with Lupus back in 1997 at the age of 56. She fought it tooth and nail for a good 6 years, but as the disease (and the constant medicine experimentations) took their toll on her, you could just see a steady decline. In addition to the skin lesions, she suffered a broken hip, fractured vertibrae, a stroke, several bouts of pneumonia and various digestive track complications. In her last three years, she was in the hospital more than she was home. But she never quit fighting. In that time, she managed to see me get married, buy my first house and bring her first grandchild into the world (she loved her more in one year than I think most people are loved in a whole lifetime).
With all my mom's struggles, we knew she wouldn't be with us forever. We had to brace ourselves for that one thing that she wouldn't be able to over come. It turned out that that thing was a sore in her foot that wouldn't go away. The sore allowed an infection to get into her blood. Towards the end, she was heavily sedated so that she could be on the ventilator. The hardest thing I have ever had to do was bring in my daughter to see her grandma one last time, even though my mom was totally unconcious and couldn't see anything. I didn't cry the whole 6 years until that moment, because I knew how much my mom loved Julia, and I knew how much it would've meant to her to open her eyes one more time and see her granddaughter smiling at her. So, as I was reading about Kathy, I was so happy for her and you all that you got to look into her eyes one more time, to let her know that she was loved, and that everything was going to be ok. I would've given anything for that chance for my mom. I hope that knowing how strong Kathy was to be able to fight through everything she had going on, to have that chance to communicate with you one more time, is of some comfort to you as you go through the grieving process.
And lastly, know too that Kathy has touched people that she has never even met! She sounds like she was a very amazing person! Thank God for the time you got to spend with her, and thank God for every minute you have with everyone you love!
Again, my sympathies, and Gob bless!
Kevin Nahm
I knew Kathy in highschool and I'm so sorry to hear she has passed. I'm so happy to hear that she had a good life and a great family.
Art
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