Kathleen Mayhew

Kathleen Mayhew
November 12, 1948 - October 3, 2022
Modesto, California - Kathleen Ann Mayhew was born in Corpus Christi, TX, the first daughter and second of six children of Thomas J and Shirley (Strangward/Stranahan) Maher.
Her father, a career coastguard officer and pilot kept his family close to his duty stations. When she finished high school she had lived in Millbrae, CA, Falls Church, VA, Eva Beach, HI, Traverse City, MI, Ketchikan, AK, Redwood City, CA, Astoria, OR.
She met the love of her life, Lew Mayhew, in a class at San Jose State. Over coffee and hours of talking in the student union, began a romance lasting more than 50 years. They went rock climbing on their first date, on the second ate popcorn and drank Mead watching a Kurosawa film in a San Francisco theater. When City Lights, at Project Artaud presented Yevgeny Yevtushenko reading poems with translations by Lawrence Ferlinghetti, they attended. Kathy later coordinated the Asian Film festival for a year at Modesto Junior College. It was heavy on Kurosawa and light on Bruce Lee films.
Throughout her life, with her husband and friends, she continued mountain adventures in California, Montana, Wyoming and Colorado, hiking, climbing and cross county skiing. Whether they made the summit or not she enjoyed being outside, the vistas, the challenge and the company of like-minded friends. She designed and built a mountain house with a wall of windows in Big Trees Village for the drama of the skies and an escape from heat and flat lands of the valley. Mountain rambles, snowshoeing or skiing was just out the door. Eventually she traded it for a few acres in the rolling oak and grasslands of western Calaveras County with room for a larger garden, seasonal wetlands, wildlife and close by trails.
She received a BA in psychology from the University of Santa Clara in 1970 and a MA in 1973 from San Jose State University with a thesis on family dynamics and the identified patient. Her thesis committee overlapped her husband's. In an interesting turn, their "defense" of thesis was scheduled to be heard together. It heightened the tension and the fun.
Aside from part time jobs and selling woven belts at craft fairs, she was a teacher, executive director of Project VIA, a non-profit organization and owner operator of Page Creations a graphic design business.
While teaching a career course in the counseling department at Modesto Junior College, she created and taught a course in the Human Services Program on death, dying, cultural concepts, coping, support services, counseling, grief and bereavement. There was some grumbling from the funeral industry.
Seeing a need for counseling and support for individuals facing life threatening illness, and grief, she consulted with Dr. Charles Garfield, a research psychologist at UCSF Med Center who developed such a program, the Shanti Project in San Francisco.
She approached local hospitals with her plan. Doctors Medical Center asked her to join their social services staff providing support to patients and families, and supported developing a larger program for the community. Project VIA (Volunteers in Action) grew to become a separate non-profit organization offering free counseling and support to individual and families facing life-threatening illness. She later served on a steering committee to develop a hospice for Modesto, and was on their first board.
After many years and Project VIA on solid footing it was time to move on. She launched Page Creations a graphic design business using skills she developed as the editor/layout/publisher of the area Sierra Club Newsletter. It was the kind of change she wanted. She had a pool of potential clients from years of speaking to service clubs and working with physicians. For many years she had two very talented employees, Brendon and Shari Cheeves working with her. She eventually retired and closed the business to assist in the care of her mother.
Throughout her Project VIA and business life she was active in the Chamber of Commerce and the Leadership Modesto program. She particularly enjoyed being part of the team conducting the annual Asilomar leadership skills retreat for the current class. She continued that role long past retirement.
Books and a garden were a constant throughout her life. Where ever she moved a garden was soon planted and books unpacked. They offered a window to the past, possibilities for the future, entertainment, hope and fun. She was seldom without one in progress. Her gardens were a source of meditation, focus, and delight and except for the year of the voles, abundant food. Also ever present in her household were one or more Shetland sheep dogs (some rescue), and a cat with a lineage back to her college days, or a barn cat rescue.
She was a member of the Calaveras Planning Coalition, and served on the board of the Central Sierra Environmental Resource Center. For many years she was a member of the Calaveras Genealogical Society, and served as newsletter editor and later as President.
She loved taking pictures of area wildlife, and published a yearly calendar for family and friends. It included a section for pictures of trail walkers and their dogs and friends and family. She was pleased when people asked for a copy and when she later found them on the wall of a business and the Post Office.
Diagnosed with ovarian cancer in spring of 2019, she applied her natural tenacity, patience and focus researching and planning treatment options, and staying strong and healthy. Tough treatment choices in a complex medical environment were made with courage and calm. She was thankful to celebrate her 50th wedding anniversary in July and was able to continue walking with friends at Lake Hogan until mid August. She did not go quietly into that good night, and continued writing daily in her gratitude journal as long as she could.
With a beautiful smile, joyful nature, abundant energy, and easy acceptance of all, she made friends wherever she went.
She is survived by her husband Lew, brothers Mark (Alyce) and Tom (Carol), sisters Susan (Bernie), Anne (Hugh), and Megan, sisters in law Madeline and Trudy, brother in law Robert (Valrie), and by her niece Kate and nephews Ian, Ben and Ryan, cousin Robin and the Bradford clan.