Obituary: Kathy McFedries

Katherine Reed McFedries passed away at the Continue Care Hospital in Carson City, Nev., on Tuesday, June 8.

Born in Pasadena, Calif., on Dec. 2, 1942, to Sherman and Elinor McFedries, Kathy was a graduate of Pasadena High School, and went on to attend Pasadena City College and the Chouinard Art Institute. She moved to Mammoth Lakes in the mid-1970s, and for 20 years worked as Supervisor of Field Maintenance with the Mammoth Community Water District. During this time, she became a Certified Master Scuba Diver. She also served as a member of the Mammoth Lakes Hospital board.

An accident in 1995 left Kathy a parapelegic, but she was one of the first participants in the Disabled Sports ski school. She designed and built her first wheelchair-accessible home in Crowley Lake, where she served on the local water board.
In 2004, Kathy moved to Bishop, where during the summers she grew prize-winning zephyr squash. In recent years, she designed a series of greeting cards, which won numerous awards at the Bishop Tri-County Fair.

She adopted Jamie McInturf, her first adopted son, best friend and co-worker, daughter Kristen Weatherwax Demaio, and recently adopted a second daughter, Jetta Barnes.

Kathy is survived by a sister, Margot McFedries of San Francisco, cousins Ann Howell of Maryland and George McFedries of California, and dear friends and caregivers Robert Knowles of Los Angeles, and Rose Curran and Eric Gardner of Bishop.

There will be a mass in her name on Saturday, June 26, at 6 p.m. at St. Joseph’s Catholic Church in Mammoth Lakes. A celebration of her life will be announced at a later date.