Dr. Kathleen Lucas

Dr. Kathleen Ellen Lucas passed away comfortably on Sunday, August 3rd, 2025 in Los Angeles, CA after a courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease at the age of 73.

She was a pediatrician, mother, grandmother, sister, and friend. Growing up in Morgantown, West Virginia, she was staunchly independent and an advocate for women's rights at a very young age. Her allergies were shellfish, dander, and the apostrophe "t" after the word "can."

After a divorce at the age of 22 she was left to raise two baby boys on her own, but she didn't let circumstance determine her path in life. She was the epitome of the words of Martin Luther King Jr when he said "If you can't fly then run, if you can't run then walk, if you can't walk then crawl, but whatever you do you have to keep moving forward." And forward she moved from that point on. With the support of her family looking after her sons, she enrolled at West Virginia University to explore her deep curiosity in the field of medicine, and received a bachelor's degree in medical technology. She loved being in the lab and experimenting with the endless possibilities of medicine, but felt the calling to do more. She decided to apply for medical school. After many letters of rejections over several years, she finally got the one she wanted. She was accepted to Marshall University School of Medicine in Huntington, WV. One of three women in the program After a grueling three years of enduring the demands of medical school WHILE RAISING HER TWO SONS ALONE, she graduated from medical school, moved to Greensboro, NC and eventually started Lucas Pediatrics. Lucas "peeds," as she liked to call it, became one of the most popular pediatric offices in North Carolina. Eventually, her passion for architecture took control of her. She co-designed and built the Lucas Medical Building, based on a Frank Lloyd Wright design, that would house her practice, and other medical offices. Kathleen cared for children regardless of their family's ability to pay. Children with complex needs were a priority of hers. She was loved by the families whom she served. She would spend the next 37 years of her life in Greensboro dedicating her life to the health of children, before moving to Los Angeles to be with her son, Jason, and his family in 2021.

Aside from her dedication to children's health, Kathleen loved to dance most of all. From the moment she took her first shag dance lesson, to the moment her disease overtook her ability to stand, she was moving those petite little feet back and forth while flashing that world class smile. Even after she could not stand, she had an innate need to keep the beat flowing any way she could. Fingers tapping on her chair, head bopping up and down, and whatever sounds she could muster to sing along.

She also loved to travel the world and consume all the culture it had to offer. She loved snorkeling the clear blue waters around the island of Aruba, collecting work of local artists from all over the world, hiking jungles and mountains wherever she could find them, and just experiencing life to its fullest. In 1984 her love of medicine and helping women in need took her to Nepal, where she spent 6 months offering medical services to women in local villages. And yes, of course she attempted to climb Mt. Everest while she was there.

We've learned to see death as tragic. The trepidation of the day our loved ones leave us is a palpable weight to bear, but Kathleen's life was something different. It was a true inspiration. Fictionally heroic. It was the embodiment of what a woman can achieve against all odds when drive and pure stubborn will guides her forward every minute of her life. She got every second out of it. Carpe diem.

Dr. Lucas was preceded in death by her parents, Franklin Thomas Lucas, and Regina Raglioni Lucas.

She is survived by her sons, Matthew Lucas of Morgantown, WV, and Jason (Brooke) Lucas of Los Angeles, CA; and four grandchildren, Nicholas, Madison, Cole, and Jake; sisters Jessica (Terry) DeLuca, Pattie (Tom) Teter, and Gina (Ed) Lucas.

There will be a memorial service at a later date.