Kathleen Marilyn Clower

Kathleen Marilyn Clower was born June 13, 1944 and died unexpectedly on September 18, 2016. Kathy loved life and throughout it she was vibrantly energetic and giving of her time to family, friends and colleagues. Her gentle smile and at times conspiratorial grin, and oh that laugh, will be greatly missed by all who knew her. She was a compassionate listener and a trusted counselor for many.

Kathy’s contributions to the community were many, as a professional and as a volunteer leader. She was a member and chairperson of the Community Advisory Board of WJCT. She also was an active member of the Baptist Medical Center Jacksonville Auxiliary, where she was recently installed as President Elect. At the hospital, she was instrumental in developing a new pet visitation program (Comforting Paws) for patients and had aspirations for her beloved Goldendoodle, Rodeo, to become one of the visitors. A lover of music, she also enjoyed participating with the volunteer musicians in the Body & Soul program when they performed at Baptist Medical Center.

Kathy worked for FSCJ from 1984 until she retired in 2010, and during her career had many remarkable accomplishments. She was a founding member of FSCJ’s Center for Teaching and Learning as well as the Florida Distance Learning Consortium. She wrote and produced Read, Write and Research, FSCJ’s first video training course which was syndicated by PBS and distributed worldwide, earning royalties for the college. She wrote the first accreditation course for FSCJ’s distance learning program, the first in the state to become SACS accredited. Kathy also served as Project Director for the FSCJ Writers Festival for 15 years, during which time she produced an award-winning documentary on the St. Johns River. In 1989, she was honored with the prestigious EVE award for education.

After retirement Kathy stayed as busy as ever, volunteering at Baptist Medical Center, serving as a Guardian Ad Litem for the past two years, and helping aspiring writer friends with editing (a true passion of hers). Finally, she had much fun with her close friends as a lifetime member of the El Dora sheet committee and a part of The Sisterhood.

She is survived by her husband of 41 years, Jim; daughter, Heather (Jen); stepdaughter, Shane (husband Jack, grandson Elliott); and son, Jamison (Lisa). She will be missed by all who knew her. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Baptist Health Foundation or the K9s for Warriors program.