Katheryn Finn Kenyon

1945 - 2018

Katheryn Finn Kenyon (Kathy), 72, passed away after a long illness on Friday, January 19, 2018, at Frederick Memorial Hospital.

Kathy was born on October 26, 1945, at Camp Pendleton, California, to Clair V. Finn and Irene Coenen. Raised in Defiance, and later Belmond, Iowa, Kathy was the oldest of 7 children. She attended Belmond High School, graduating in 1963. In 1967, Kathy graduated from Iowa State University, and with the help of a fellowship from the National Science Foundation, studied microbiology at Penn State University, where she earned her Master of Science degree in 1968. A devoted scientist, Kathy spent decades working at Ft. Detrick, first as a bench researcher, then later as scientific editor for the U.S. Army Research Institute of Infectious Diseases. She retired from civil service in 2013.

Kathy is survived by her daughter, Jessica, of Washington, DC, as well as her lifelong friend and former husband, Rick Kenyon, Jessica's father. She is also survived by her 6 brothers and sisters who live in Iowa and California.

Throughout her life, Kathy defied convention, as anyone who knew her would tell you. She was fiercely independent, passionate, and full of contradictions. Kathy sang opera but played the electric guitar, refused to cook but loved to bake and embroider, and to share all these gifts with others. Kathy loved fast motorcycles (not Harleys, thank you!), taking solo trips as far as the Colorado Rockies. Her daughter fondly remembers her as the cool mom who showed up at her school on said motorcycle. Her favorite place was her beautiful mountaintop home west of Myersville. Above all else, Kathy loved her daughter, science, science fiction, nature, and animals. She is preceded in death by her beloved Jack Russell Terrier, Fritz, who eagerly awaited her at the Rainbow Bridge, tennis ball at the ready.

Kathy spent her final week in the loving care of Hospice staff, the staff of Visiting Angels, and most importantly her devoted, real-life angel, caregiver Sandy.

Kathy will be remembered at a private ceremony to be held in the spring. Her family asks that, if you are so inclined, you celebrate Kathy's life and love of nature with a memorial contribution to: The Sierra Club, www.sierraclub.org, 2101 Webster Street, Suite 1300, Oakland, California 94612.