Kathleen Humphries (78), devoted wife, mother, sister, aunt and grandmother passed into the arms of Jesus on September 27th.

Kathleen spent her professional career as a Labor and Delivery nurse helping mothers bring their babies into the world and caring for those infants in the first days of life. Living in Alaska for the first part of her career where specialty care for infants was limited, she was often called upon to fly medical transports with infants and care for them as they were transported to bigger hospitals where they could receive the extra care they needed. She loved caring for women and children.

Kathleen met her husband, Kermit, when they were both attending Biola College. Shortly after their wedding, they moved to Alaska where they would live, work and raise their family for 14 years before moving to Virginia where they have lived for 41 years.

In retirement, Kathleen was an active participant in her community. For several years, she volunteered on the community social committee planning events and gatherings and welcomed all newcomers to the community by meeting them personally to tell them about the community. She coordinated the monthly “Juliette’s Luncheon” with ladies from the community. She loved the opportunity to spend time with her neighbors and friends and socialize.

Kathleen loved to travel. Trips to the beach, cruises, trips domestic or international, it didn’t matter as long as she was with those she loved. She was blessed to have been able to travel to several of the countries of her ancestry and see “where she came from”.

Kathleen loved animals and anything to do with animal conservation and could often be found on a Saturday morning watching animal conservation shows on tv. She loved to visit zoos wherever she was traveling. One of her favorite places to visit in the Washington, DC area was the Smithsonian National Zoo, of which she was a longtime supporter. She would often surprise the zoo staff with her knowledge of the animals and their names.

Kathleen was so proud of her children and grandchildren and could often be heard telling folks about their achievements. She supported each one’s dreams, ambitions and did whatever she could to support them.

Kathleen loved the Lord and that showed in her care for others, especially her husband Kermit. She dedicated her life to carrying for him after his diagnosis with Parkinson’s Disease, researching medications, exercise programs, diet, and anything that would help make life a bit easier for him.

She is survived by her husband (Kermit), her children (Kimberly and Scott), her sister (Dixie), daughter-in-law (Tish), grandchildren (Kelsie and Cole), brothers-in-law, sister-in-law and several nieces and nephews.

If you would like to honor Kathleen, instead of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Smithsonian National Zoo so they can continue their great conservation work…https://nationalzoo.si.edu/support