Kathleen Campbell Houlding

Kathleen Campbell Houlding of Bethesda, Maryland, passed away peacefully at home on November 10, 2021 after a two-year battle with metastatic breast cancer. She was born in Washington D.C. on April 14, 1978 to her loving parents, Pamela and Michael Campbell, and devoted siblings, Sally Gannon (Matt Gannon) and Scott Campbell (Ashley Campbell.) After graduating from Georgetown Visitation in 1996, Kathleen attended Colgate University, where she met her adoring husband, Chris Houlding. The two graduated in 2000, were married on May 1, 2004, and have three cherished children together - Will (15,) Jack (13,) and Claire (6.)

After earning her R.N., graduating summa cum laude from New York University, Kathleen joined the labor and delivery team at Georgetown University Hospital, where she worked for 20 years with her “work family.” Nursing was an integral part of her identity; she cared for her patients with gentle kindness and good humor, and helped bring countless babies into the world. Kathleen was an incredible and irreplaceable mother, wife, sister, daughter, aunt, and friend. She had a way of making everyone with whom she interacted feel seen, heard, and loved. Her captivating storytelling style never failed to make her audience laugh. During her battle with cancer, Kathleen found strength in the well-known quote, “The devil whispered in my ear, ‘you’re not strong enough to withstand the storm.’ Today I whispered in the devil’s ear, ‘I am the storm.’” Her story can be heard on the most recent episode of the podcast, “Sister Conversations.” Kathleen truly was the storm, and she is already missed by so many.

A viewing for Kathleen will be held on Tuesday, November 16 from 5 to 8pm at Little Flower Catholic Church in Bethesda. There will be a funeral mass at Little Flower on Wednesday, November 17, 2021 at noon.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to KayKay’s Cause, the charitable foundation created in her name to benefit the research of triple-negative cancers and prevention of metastasis at the Georgetown Lombardi Cancer Center, as well as counseling for the family members of those affected by terminal cancer diagnoses. Donations can be sent to KayKay’s Cause at 6000 Woodacres Drive, Bethesda, MD 20816.