OBITUARY Katherine Olin Shrum February 15, 1983 – January 11, 2019 “Being surrounded on wedding weekend by people from all over the country who love Robbie and me has just reinforced my belief that despite cancer, I’ve got to be one of the luckiest people in the world”. Equally fortunate are those with whom Kate shared her love and life: Robbie Quesada, husband; parents Ellen and John; siblings, Mo (Jeremy), Joe (Kim), and Jake; family-in-love, Maria, Rick, Olga, and Derick Quesada; nieces and nephews, Tucker, Calais, Avery, Olin, and Bodie; aunt and uncles, Sharon (Ken), Al, Joe (Tony), and Tim; extended family; “wonderful communities of friends” (Charlottesville, Portland, Eugene, Miami, Flagstaff, Pittsburgh, and Boston); and Kate’s “brilliant students” in Charlottesville, Pittsburgh, Boston, Portland, and Eugene. Kate was born in Charlottesville on February 15, 1983.
She graduated from Charlottesville High School (returning there to teach in 2016), the University of Virginia (Women’s Studies and English), and the University of Oregon (Master of Education with certification to teach English Language Learners). A passionate feminist and social justice activist, Kate used her intelligence, creativity, wit, and energy in those pursuits and in guiding students to be confident in their abilities and proud of their individuality. Kate had a natural proclivity for the arts.
She played piano, violin, guitar, and banjo, and had a beautiful voice, used extensively when singing karaoke, and once produced an album of Christmas songs with her friend Phoebe. It was also not uncommon to find Kate painting, knitting, screen-printing, drawing, or constructing and elaborately decorating gingerbread houses. Recently Kate began learning to be a potter.
Working at the wheel and pondering finishing touches for the pots brought her joy. A lover of culture and nature, Kate traveled extensively in Europe and North America, and visited Morocco. She enjoyed gardening, camping, hiking, and people-watching, and especially loved dragging her nieces and nephews on nature walks and helping them create legendary sandcastles during the annual family beach week.
Kate’s other intense interests included puzzles, baking, Minecraft, Stardew Valley, open water swims, foot races, and the Barracks Road Christmas Parade, during which she particularly enjoyed the wily dog mascot on a tiny bike. Though neuro-endocrine carcinoma took Kate’s life January 11, 2019, she is with us. Her smile warms our hearts; her passions inspire us to action.
To honor Kate, help those in need and be with those you cherish. Notes to her family can be sent to 1420 Foxbrook Lane, Charlottesville, VA, 22901. A service sharing love and raising gratitude for Kate’s presence in our lives and hearts will begin at 2:00 on Sunday, January 20th, in the sanctuary of Charlottesville’s First United Methodist Church.
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