Kathy was born in Emanuel Hospital, Portland, Oregon on November 19, 1942. She grew up in Portland except for a short period living in Seaside Oregon (1945-47) She attended Irvington, (K), Fernwood Elementary (grades 1-4) and Beaumont Elementary School (grades 5-8) She was a Brownie, Bluebird and Campfire Girl in grade school. Was baptized in the Westminister Presbyterian Church which she attended through grade school and high school and where she was married. She moved to 4431 N.E. Wisteria Drive in Portland around July 1952, at age 9, which is where Kathy lived most of her youth. She was on the rally squad in grade school. Cheerleader on the Grant High School Rally Squad. President of the Future Teachers of America Club. Represented Grant High School as it's 1960 Rose Festival Princess and graduated that June. She rode on the float for the Rose Festival Court in the 1960 Grand Florale Parade in Portland. She worked on weekends her senior year as a salesgirl for Meier & Frank in downtown Portland.
At Oregon State University, she was a member of Kappa Alpha Theta Sorority, was selected Little Colonel, and a Finalist for Betty Coed. Her summers were spent working as a demonstrator for Grandma's Cookies in 1961, as a model (walking the makeshift runway erected at a local mall) for the Clothes Horse clothing store in Portland in 1962, and as a counselor on Orcas Island in Puget Sound near Ft. Lewis where Gary was stationed in 1963. She graduated from OSU with a BA in Elementary Education in June 1964.
Gary remembers first seeing Kathy at the grand opening of the Meier and Frank store in the Lloyd Center (about March 1960), just inside the door from the old skating rink that was the center of the mall. Kathy was an honorary member of the store's staff representing Grant High School. She was dressed in an elf outfit with a sash that read "Here we grow again." Gary asked her for a date (about June 1961), which they spent at the old Yaw's drive-in restaurant, a famous Grant hang-out in those days.
After graduating from Oregon State, she and Gary were married June 21, 1964 at Westminister Presbyterian Church in Portland Oregon (where her parents were married). Kathy was age 21 and Gary age 24. Following their honeymoon in and around the Olympic National Park, they moved to Lancaster, CA (Gary was working for NASA at Edwards Air Force Base.) Three months later they moved to Santa Monica, CA where Gary began studying for his Masters Degree at UCLA, and Kathy began her teaching career as a Second Grade teacher at Will Rogers Elementary School on 14th St. in Santa Monica from Sept. 1964 through June l966. She taught in the only windowless room in the school, called the" bombshelter." (It was being modified with windows when we visited about 2001.)
She moved to San Diego, CA in September, 1966 after Gary received his Masters Degree. Kathy volunteered as a "pink lady" at Scripps Memorial Hospital Her first son Mark was born in July 1969 followed by her second son, Jeff, in June 1972. She became a member of the First United Methodist Church in San Diego (minister C. A. McClain) on February 23, 1969 where she became a Sunday School Teacher. Kathy was a Cub Den Leader at Weinberger School for Mark and Jeff's Cub Scout Pack 950 and PTA President in 1979.
She returned to teaching and taught at the Jewish Day School for two years (about 78-79), Indian Education Teaching Aide in 80-81 and 81-82 school years. Elementary school teacher at Benchley-Weinberger School (Weinberger consolidated with Benchley school in the 1980s), San Diego, California, from 1982 to 1999, first as a Basic Skills Teacher (Grades K-6) and then as a First Grade Teacher. Earned the Honorary Service Award and the Continuing Honorary Service Award from Benchley-Weinberger School. Retired from full-time teaching in August 1999. Her school dedicated a "brick" in her name which is mounted in the "Honor Wall" at Benchley-Weinberger. The brick reads: "Mrs Thomson Thanks for your many years of love & dedication." Kathy has a copy of the brick at home.
Over the years, she received many thank you letters and cards from parents and/or students. The following is an example:
"May 8, 1996
Dear Mrs. Thomson,
We so appreciate the wonderful job you do each weekday with the 25 little lives in your care. Spencer adores you and respects you, too. Your skilled blend of patience, humor, and high expectations have brought about an amazing transformation in our son. He considers himself a "reader", and it is your gifted teaching that has helped him reach that goal.
We can't begin to express how special you are to us all. You are truly one in a million. Thank you so much.
With love and gratitude,
Sara and Mitch Williams"
The principal that hired her for a full-time position at Benchley-Weinberger, Marita Saunders, wrote the following:
"Congratulations on your retirement.....I remember so (many) nice things about you. I felt lucky to have you. I felt lucky to have worked with you. You were so great that morning I called you to come and open a class room in the next hour. Well the rest is history. That was one of the best decisions I made.....firm, fair, and friendly (comes to mind) when I think of how you managed your classroom and students. You were great! Always trying new techniques and strategies..... Always on task, focused and dedicated to the end. B-W was lucky to have you not to mention all those "little darlings" who entered your room each September."
After retiring, she began, in November 1999, to tutor students in reading and math in our home. Once Gary retired in Nov. 2001, they enjoyed traveling, often making trips to see places their ancestors had lived (KS, OK, TX, NM, AZ, MN, MA, NH, ME, TN, KY, Lethbridge/Banff-Canada.) They cruised around the Mediterranean (Spain (Barcelona), France (Nice), Monico, Italy (Pisa/Florence, Rome, Pompeii, Venice), Greece (Athens and Mykonos), Turkey (Istanbul, Kusadasi/Ephesus.) They cruised Alaska, the Mexican Riviera. England/Scotland, Australia/New Zealand, the eastern seaboard to Canada, the Bahamas (50th wedding celebration with many family members.)
In June 2010, Kathy was invited to ride again on a float in Portland's Grand Florale Parade and to attend the Queen's Garden Party the day before. This was part of a reunion celebration of the 50th anniversary of the 1960 Rose Festival Court. Six of the 12 princesses were able to attend and a grand time was had by all. She was often still recognized by former students, or parents, in restaurants and shopping centers, and thanked for “teaching me how to read.”
That same month she was formally diagnosed as having Alzheimer's Disease. She died of aspiration pneumonia at 1:15 pm on Saturday, 26 September 2020, after a twelve year battle with Alzheimer’s Disease. Kathy is survived by her husband, Gary, her two sons Mark (Jodi) of Santee and Jeff of San Ramon, brother Alan (Candi) of Green Valley, AZ, sister-in-law, Joanne Bowlin of Boring, OR and numerous nieces and their families.
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