Kathryn Jean Cole

Born in Marquette, Michigan to Eugene and Ruth Cole, she received a Masters in early childhood education at Michigan State University. A pioneer of the belief that children under the age of five can and should be educated, she founded Michigan Early Childhood Center (MECC) for that purpose and then fought and won to have the school recognized as a place of education and learning. She later founded Michigan Early Elementary Center - a private and then charter elementary school. The guiding principle of MEEC was something she also believed in strongly - that every child should be allowed to learn at their own pace and in their own way. Through the more than thirty years in the field of children's education, she met and worked with a multitude of children, parents, and staff.

Kathy was preceded in death by her father Gene, mother Ruth, and brother David. She is survived by her daughters Elizabeth and Nancy, brother Jack, and sister Nancy. There are not enough words to say how much she was loved or how much she will be missed.