Katherine Lynn Helvey Donaldson passed away peacefully in her home on May 26, 2010. She was surrounded by people who adored her and whom she loved. She was 40 years old.
She was born Jan. 30, 1970, in Oxnard, Calif., to Roger and Lois Helvey. She was a 1987 graduate of Saint Bonaventure High School in Ventura, Calif., and graduated from the University of California, Santa Barbara, in 1992 with a degree in chemical engineering.
Kathy lived a life of tremendous variety. She enjoyed world travel, yet she loved the small-town feel of Corvallis, where she had lived since 1993. She had challenging technical jobs in engineering - from rocket scientist to lithography engineer to database designer - yet she walked away from that career to do something she considered more rewarding: being a mother to her two children, Cassidy (11) and Jack (7).
She was an accomplished musician, playing the oboe, flute, piano, banjo and tin whistle, and even gave a glorious accordion performance one night after playing the instrument for only two weeks. She was a camper and then a counselor at Arrowbear Music Camp in the San Bernardino Mountains in Southern California.
She was active in the community, working on programs for seniors, school fundraising, and helping to organize a series of charity concerts to raise money for Kids for Kids, a United Kingdom-based charity working in Darfur. Kathy was the Kids for Kids United States representative until she became ill in 2008.
Kathy will be remembered by those who knew her as caring and wise. Her voice was not usually the first or the loudest, but was often the last one to speak on a topic ... usually followed by mutterings of "Oh, yeah, that makes sense." Her friends and family will miss her sage council, her good ear, and her generous, gentle smile.
Her husband, Jeremy, will miss his best friend, the best wife, and best mother for their children that anyone could ask for. They would have been married 15 years on June 24, 2010.
The family will hold a celebration of Kathy's remarkable life at 1 p.m. June 19 at the First Presbyterian Church, 114 S.W. Eighth St. in Corvallis. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Benton Hospice Service (www.bentonhospice.org), Kids for Kids (contact Beth at uskidsforkids@gmail.com), or the new memorial scholarship set up in Kathy's name at St. Bonaventure High School in Ventura (contact Mark at mgroff@saintbonaventure.com).
Online condolences can be made via www.mchenryfuneralhome.com.