Kathy Ivins

IVINS, Kathleen Watkinson, departed this life Thursday, July 22, 2010, having fought a brave battle against cancer. Kathy was born in Richmond, Virginia, to James S. and Douglas D. Watkinson. She leaves her beloved husband of 25 years, John C. Ivins Jr.; and her two sons, John C. Ivins III and James W. Ivins. She is also survived by her father; her brothers, James D. Watkinson and his wife, Patricia, and Robert F. Watkinson and his wife, Marianne; and her sister, Sarah D. Watkinson and her partner, Lydia Melton. Kathy was a graduate of Collegiate Schools on whose alumni board she served and was a 1977 graduate of Salem College, also serving for a time as its Richmond alumnae president. She was a Senior Vice President at Thalhimer Commercial Real Estate, joining the company in 1982 as one of the area's first female brokers working in commercial real estate. Throughout her career, she was consistently among Thalhimer's top producers and was recognized as its top producer in 1999. Among other honors, Kathy won the Richmond Association of Realtors Distinguished Achiever Award from 1983 to 2002. She was recently recognized by Virginia Business as one of the top women in commercial real estate in Virginia. She was also named an Influential Woman of Virginia by Virginia Lawyer's Weekly in 2009. Earlier this year, Kathy received the Trailblazer Award from the Richmond chapter of Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), an organization she helped found, also serving a term as its president. In addition, Kathy was active in the community, serving on the board and as past chairman of Goodwill of Central Virginia, and serving on a variety of other boards and organizations including the Greater Richmond Chamber of Commerce, Richmond Sports Backers, the Richmond Real Estate Group and The Forum Club, among others. Yet, she always said that her proudest accomplishment was being a Mom to John and Kathy's two sons, Jack and Jim. Kathy may have been better known to some as an indefatigable runner, her experiences having been the subject of numerous publications. She actively trained for more than eight years with SEAL Team Physical Training, which became a catalyst for her excellent physical conditioning and led her to become a marathon runner, running the Richmond Marathon on several occasions, as well as the Marine Corps Marathon, along with a host of other distance races in Richmond and around the country. She was a constant - and vocal - inspiration to her fellow runners even after she became ill. While this past year has been filled with health challenges, Kathy and her husband, John, were relentless in their efforts to overcome melanoma, dedicating themselves to this task. One of Kathy's doctors often said he had never in his 30 years seen a couple like John and Kathy who, together, so aggressively took on such a challenge, recently commenting that "he did not know love like theirs still existed" in the world. The family will receive friends from 2 to 4 and from 6 to 8 p.m. on Monday, July 26, at the Central Chapel of Bennett Funeral Home, 3215 Cutshaw Ave. The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Tuesday, July 27, at St. James's Episcopal Church, 1205 W. Franklin St., followed by burial in Hollywood Cemetery. The family would especially like to thank Dr. K. Singh Sahni for his tireless efforts, skill,


This obituary was originally published in the Richmond Times-Dispatch.