It is with enormous sadness that I leave this life on April 10, 2026 after a four-year battle with ALS. (Three years, one month after diagnosis, one year of symptoms prior to that.) I didn’t have control of much in my last years, but I was able to write my own obituary.
I was born on October 17, 1958 in Essex County, England where my Air Force pilot dad and teacher mom met and married. My older brother Steve was born there as well. When I was six months old, we moved to California, and as a military family, we moved several more times until my dad retired in Colorado in 1974. A highlight of those years was living in Spain at Torrejon Air Base just outside of Madrid from 1970 to 1974. That was where I was lucky enough to fulfill my dream of owning a horse, and where I discovered I really enjoyed competitive swimming.
I came to Gunnison to attend Western State College (now Western Colorado University) on a swimming scholarship. My specialty was breast stroke, but I also swam Individual Medley and a little freestyle. I swam for two years for Western, going on to graduate with a degree in elementary education. I married Rick, the love of my life and best friend, in 1980, and we decided to make Gunnison our forever home. What a good choice that turned out to be.
Rick and I were married for 45 years. While we were busy raising a family and working, we still made time to play during those decades with lots of biking, skiing, camping, and family and friend time. Rick and I had so many plans for retirement that were cut way too short. We were able to take some great trips while I was still able, including rafting the Grand Canyon with our son Garrison as one of our guides; lots of camping trips and family reunions; and a trip to Iceland and Italy, where our daughter Sarah and her husband Jayson surprised me by joining us on the second half of the trip. I’m very grateful that we were able to travel, although we didn’t reach my goal of getting to all 50 states.
After graduating from Western, I taught kindergarten for a year and a half and subbed a little before leaving teaching to raise Sarah and Garrison. Those years were golden for me. I loved being a mom, and we were fortunate to have had so many memorable times as a family while they were growing up. After my own kids were in school, I went back to teaching as a substitute teacher for a couple of years, and then was hired to teach third grade. I loved teaching that age because eight and nine year-olds love to learn and my goal was always to make learning fun, along with having high expectations for behavior and academics. I think I achieved those goals most of the time! In 2000 I earned my Masters in Teaching from Grand Canyon University. I taught third grade for 30 years. What a career teaching was – certainly there was never a dull moment, and every day was different. I enjoyed that aspect of it. Mostly I enjoyed being with my students for their energy, curiosity, and humor. If my count is correct, I had ten principals, taught around 1,000 students, and worked with many stellar people. I saw standardized testing become the norm, technology become an integral part of teaching and learning, and many changes in curriculum and student demographics over the years. I was honored to receive the Dan Tredway Memorial Teacher of the Year award in the 2020-2021 school year.
Outside of work, I had lots of hobbies and interests and was very much looking forward to being able to enjoy them more in retirement. I loved to garden and work in the yard, read, read, read, watercolor, travel, camp, telemark ski, cross-country ski, mountain bike, hike, yoga, paddle board, and spend time with family and friends. I was an athletic, active person and loved to exercise because I did things I enjoyed. That was part of the fun and charm of living in Gunnison for me – the environment lends itself to so many outdoor pursuits with lots of like-minded people. All right out the front door!
Our grandchildren were a source of joy for me and I loved playing with them and watching them grow up. We biked and skied together, played games, camped when they were younger, and went to their sporting events as they grew. We just enjoyed being around each other. I hate that I won’t get to be a part of their lives going forward.
When my kids were young, I was part of a playgroup that met weekly so we moms could visit and our kids could play together. I was part of the Bates Betties (earlier) and Dirty Girls (later), both groups of women that mountain biked together. Those were really fun times, and we always had fun and challenging adventures. For the last ten-plus years, I’ve been part of an amazing book group full of smart, funny, wonderful women. And, the group of people I taught with over the years has been amazing. Some of us have been meeting for a couple of years now for Coffee With the Teachers, as I like to call it, and the group ebbs and flows with who attends in any given week, but we always pick up where we left off. If I want to contribute to the conversation, I just raise my hand and they get it!
When I think about it, I have been so privileged to be a part of so many groups of people. I know that this is the nature of the Gunnison community that I have been so fortunate to be a part of all these years. ALS does not define my life; it’s what ended it, but I’ve had a good run up to this point.
During this illness, I was blessed to have so many caring family members and friends around me. All four of my siblings and their families made a point to visit multiple times, and my son Garrison moved nearby. They rallied around me and Rick. I am fortunate to belong to a family that gets along with each other and knows how to have fun together. Our parents valued time spent together as a family, and all five of us learned that valuable lesson and have carried it forward with our own families and each other. For that I am most grateful. Many visits from friends lifted my spirits and kept me going for as long as I was able. I thank everyone for their support and love for me and for Rick. As difficult as it was to be going through this terrible disease, it was hard to watch those I loved having to go through it too. I know that I was loved dearly by so many.
I was preceded in death by my parents, Raymond Krasovich and Dorothy Krasovich; father-in-law, Conrad Garcia and mother-in-law Delores Garcia. I am survived by my husband, Rick Garcia; daughter Sarah McMurren (Jayson) and son Garrison Garcia (Molly); brother Steve Krasovich (Cherie), sister Laura Melisaratos (Jerry), sister Lisa Nicholson (Bill), brother Mark Krasovich (Sharon); three wonderful grandchildren, Asher, Callan and Raylee McMurren; nieces Morgan and Logan; and nephews Xander, Arye, Cameron, Gavin, and Jett. Still living are four first cousins and my Aunt Dot as well.
“Time is free, but it’s precious.” Make the most of it.
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We are profoundly saddened by Kathy’s passing and have deep gratitude for the sympathies and support from friends and family. She will always be remembered for her kindness, compassion, determination, and family orientation. Her legacy as an educator, community member, friend, spouse, and mother had an expansive reach and we will forever carry her in our hearts.
We are thankful for the amazing people at the Gleason Foundation and the ALS Association, who provided essential care and services during this difficult chapter. And to all of the advocates fighting every day for ALS resources and research.
While ALS is currently 100 percent fatal, it is a curable disease. It is critically under-funded. In lieu of flowers, we ask your support in raising awareness of ALS through sharing information about the disease, and if possible, donating in Kathy’s honor. We look forward, with tears in our eyes and love in our hearts, to the day we learn the cure has been found.
I AM ALS is the leading advocacy organization doing incredible work to expedite ALS funding and research. A fundraiser created in Kathy’s honor is here: https://iamals.donordrive.com/campaigns/kathygarcia. The Gleason Foundation also provides incredible support to those living with ALS: https://teamgleason.mygiftlegacy.org/
We invite you to join us in celebrating the incredible life of Kathy Garcia on Sunday, April 19 at the Western University Ballroom at 2:00 p.m.
