Kathie Diane Coberly

First a note regarding Kathie's photograph that was chosen to accompany this. Those of you that know her well saw the extraordinary effort she made in balancing life as a mother, working as a nurse (LVN), and going back to school obtaining a BS degree from TCU, followed by obtaining her RN license. She was proud of her accomplishments, and I strive to honor her by posting this picture.
I apologize in advance for the length of this obituary. The problem is that this is an attempt to tell Kathie's story, and she was such an extraordinary person that multiple books could never fully capture her qualities, her spirit, and her accomplishments. As her husband for 51 years, I must admit that I'm not without some bias. I know that she was not perfect, but she was perfect for me. With that, I offer the following:
Kathie Diane (Young) Coberly passed away peacefully in the early morning hours of July 8, 2025, at her home in Springfield, MO. It is important to note that Kathie did not want to die in a hospital or nursing home- she left this life on her own terms, just as she had lived it.
She was born on December 13, 1950, the middle of three children by Clyde R Young and Geraldine Young (Stewart) (Sumerford). She was a woman of strong self-discipline and unwavering faith. Her life choices were guided by sound biblical principles (a testament to her parents). Kathie's heart was motivated by pure love for others, and especially for her family. That love led her to a life of service in nursing. From a young age, she knew she wanted to become a nurse.
Her nursing career began at the old St. John's Hospital (now Mercy Hospital) in the Cardiac Cath Lab when it was first opened. Kathie's title was Senior Angiography Technician, (LPN). She often joked that the Cath Lab started in the basement of the hospital near the morgue. The imaging in those days was captured on 35mm photographic film, that Kathie developed while working in total darkness.
At age 24, Kathie married me, David L Coberly, on December 21, 1974, at a small ceremony conducted in the living room of her brother's house. Kathie also brought to the marriage a cute 5-year-old daughter from a previous marriage. That child was Lori, who came with tons of character and a very active sense of humor. At the time, I was a student at the University of Missouri at Rolla (UMR). It was an act of faith on Kathie's part to bring Lori and follow me by moving into a family-owned 1948 model house trailer that I lived in while attending UMR. Like most marriages, ours started out with little financial resources. It was difficult for 2 adults and 1 child (along with a giant St. Bernard dog) to live in a trailer that measured 8' x 28', with a 3-gallon hot water heater and a thin layer of paper insulation in the walls. Despite our shower drain freezing in the cold winter months, we were very happy in this small "tin can house." In those days, the rent for the trailer space was $12 per month (including water, sewer, and trash pickup). Following our move to Rolla, MO, Kathie worked as an LPN at Phelps County Memorial Hospital. She always felt compelled to "do her part" to help put food on the table. Then on September 15, 1976, our younger daughter Amy was born. We were now a happy family of 4 (plus the giant dog) when I graduated from UMR on December 19, 1976.
Our journey took us to Fort Worth, TX where I was hired as a Civil Engineer for the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA). We would eventually move several more times as we lived in both the Dallas/Fort Worth and Houston, TX areas. At each stop, Kathie worked as a nurse where she enjoyed both the people she helped as well as building lifelong friendships with several of her coworkers.
Professional development was a priority for Kathie. She attended Tarrant County Junior College while working at a hospital in Fort Worth and eventually pursued her education full-time, until graduating from Texas Christian University, Harris College of Nursing earning her BS degree in Nursing on December 19, 1993. Following graduation, Kathie passed the Texas state board exams to become a Registered Nurse (RN). Her career shifted from a hospital focus to school nursing after realizing she could no longer lift patients. Kathie's love of people was a good fit for school nursing. She often took a real interest in the kids she worked with, and she had a positive impact upon the lives of many students. She was very active in the Texas Association of School Nurses (TASN) where she served on the Region 11 Nominating Committee, worked as the 2nd Vice President for Legislation, and went on to be the TASN Publications Chair for 3 years. She was honored at an awards ceremony as the First Place Winner in Texas for Medium Size Schools, 1994-1995 Awards for Excellence in Texas School Health. In whatever task she undertook (school nursing, being a mother, grandmother, aunt or friend), she always wanted to be the best at what she did.
All her life, Kathie had a passion for dogs. When she grew up as a child in Strafford, MO, she collected multiple stray dogs and found homes for them. Accepting my St. Bernard was very easy for her. Last year we lost our dog Pepper to a medical problem. She waited about 10 days before deciding it was time to get another dog. This time it was going to be a service dog to assist her with her Parkinson's. There would be no waiting to find a trained service dog. We found a rescue dog through our trainer that had been dumped on a farm in Oklahoma. Although only partially trained and not socialized well, our new dog, Shadow, was a daily joy for Kathie. Shadow helped her get through the challenges of her disease process. Kathie had a special "magnetism" for dogs; every nearby canine seemed to find its way into her arms for "puppy therapy" time.
Kathie enjoyed old movies, action movies (if they were not too violent), and good comedy. But her greatest hobby may have been shopping for clothes, shoes, and purses. I once combined two back-to-back closets and created a walk-in closet just for her. This worked until two years ago when her walk-in closet became full. She developed a plan to save money for building a new bedroom at the back of the house and converting an existing bedroom into a much larger closet area. With that in mind, she continued to pursue clothing company catalogues utilizing online orders and, in the interim, utilizing closets in other bedrooms. This went on until about 3 weeks ago, when she quietly tossed her catalogs away. I knew then that her time was near.
In 2004 Kathie was diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. She was heartbroken to leave nursing soon after, realizing she no longer had the strength to perform CPR. I remember the moment clearly, as if it was yesterday. On September 28, 2004, her neurologist, Dr Chin, told Kathie that she was being diagnosed with Parkinson's Disease. As a nurse, she knew what Parkinson's Disease was but had not been trained in depth on the disease. She asked Dr. Chin what that meant to her life. He responded that statistically people with Parkinson's die about 6 years younger than the general population. A tear ran down her face, but then she smiled and told him, "Well, I wear a seat belt while in the car, I don't smoke, and I floss my teeth daily. These are things that statistically equate to people living longer. I figure I'm just breaking even." Kathie has always been able to take an optimistic view of what life offers. If Dr Chin had the ability to accurately look into the future and tell us that Kathie would live another 21 years, we would have been very happy at the time. It's been a long 21-year battle with the disease, but she put up a good fight. As her husband, it's very difficult for me to let go, although I know it's now her time for rest.
When we consider our own lives, we all want to leave the world a better place for having been here. For a legacy to really be meaningful, it's not what we do that really makes a difference in life. The real contribution is how we have helped others during our life and a part of that includes how we share our faith that can lead to everlasting life. For Kathie that meant helping many people either through her nursing work or influencing others for a positive change and to always be willing to share her faith in her savior, Jesus Christ. Kathie was an active member of Park Crest Baptist Church where she made many friends and pursued additional opportunities to help others. Kathie enjoyed supporting her church's ministry and consistently helped with the monthly dinners for our senior class as well as helping with many church family funeral meals.
Kathie is survived by me, her husband David; her two beautiful and kindhearted daughters Lori Price and Amy Cardwell; her son in law Reggie Price; her granddaughter, Dustie Price; her grandson Joshua Price, son of Lori; her son in law Sam Cardwell and granddaughters Reese and Riley Cardwell (children of Amy). She is also survived by her big brother Chris Young, a constant source of strength; her younger sister Kay Meyer who's presence brought her joy; and Kay's husband Mack, who's wisdom was greatly appreciated. She is also survived by many nephews, nieces, and cousins, all of whom meant the world to Kathie. Beyond that Kathie always counted her many friends as family. Some were childhood friends she grew up with, others were co-workers, and then there was Lacey Williams, her home health aide that faithfully assisted her for the past 3 years making her life a little easier. Her family and friends were an essential ingredient that contributed to her happiness. With that in mind, relationships are always a two-way exchange and on behalf of Kathie, I want to thank both family and friends for helping make Kathie's world a special place.
In lieu of flowers, gifts may be made to The American Parkinson's Disease Association (APDA), a charity that helped Kathie in many ways during the past 21 years.