An angel was welcomed into heaven last week. On the morning of Wednesday, Nov. 20, 2024, Katheryn Virginia Donahoe was reunited with her Savior after battling an aggressive brain tumor for seven months.
Kathy Ayres was born on May 24, 1954, in Cloquet, Minn. She lived there with her parents, Glenn and Grace and three siblings. She was the third child of four with older siblings Glenn Robert and Mary and younger brother Richard. In 1965, her family moved to Lewiston where she graduated from Lewiston High School and met Daniel Donahoe, her husband of 49 years. They were married in November of 1975.
Kathy began college at Whitworth in Spokane but finished her final years at the University of Idaho. After marrying Dan, the couple spent their first three years together in Melbourne, Australia where she taught elementary school and gave birth to their first of two sons, Colin Robert, in 1978. Michael Francis was born in 1981, in Nampa, to complete their family.
For the next 13 years, Kathy and her family lived in Lewiston, Spokane Valley, Kuna, Idaho and Vacaville, Calif., during which time she taught kindergarten, first grade and second grade. In 1991, they returned to Spokane, where they have resided for the past 34 years.
In 1997, Kathy began teaching first grade at Northwest Christian Elementary, where she remained until her retirement in 2017. Her incredible patience and unconditional love have left a lasting impact on the lives of countless students, shaping their futures in ways that will be cherished forever.
After retirement, she and Dan began to winter in Yuma, Ariz., in their fifth wheel returning to Spokane each spring and summer to live next to family.
Kathy had a remarkable gift for connecting with others, leaving a trail of deep and meaningful friendships wherever she went. Her love for Jesus and her unwavering compassion for people were at the heart of everything she did. This is how she will always be remembered. With courage and grace, she finished her race, inspiring all of us along the way.
Kathy is survived by her husband, Dan, sons Colin and Michael, daughter-in-law Tracee and nine grandchildren Michaela, Tommy, Ethan, Tanlyn, Regan, Dominick, Hayden, Oliver and Penelope, and brother Richard Ayres.
In lieu of flowers, please give to the Glioblastoma Foundation, P.O. Box 62066 Durham, NC 27715.
A celebration of life will be held at 1 p.m. Saturday, Jan. 4, at Life Center Church, 1202 N. Government Way, Spokane.
