Kathy Mestas

Kathryn Lee Mestas died peacefully and in the company of close family members on March 28, 2025. She was 73 years old.

Kathryn (Kathy) was born on September 7, 1951 in Akron, Ohio, the second child of her biological father Jasper Cornett and her mother, Beverly Robbins (Hicks-Clark). But for the first five years of her life, Kathy and her older brother Gary lived with and were raised by her maternal grandparents, Everett (Poppy) and Elizabeth (Nonnie) Robbins.

Beverly and her second husband, Van H. Hicks of Casper, were married and moved back to Casper in 1956 with Gary and Kathy in tow. Kathy would live the vast majority of her life in Casper, but did reside in San Jose, California and Reno, Nevada for several years.

She graduated from Kelly Walsh High School in 1969 and then went on to cosmetology school were she was accredited as a hairdresser and worked in the field off and on for several years. She plied her trade on her husband, her children and other friends and family members over the years.

She was a free spirit who hitchhiked with friends all across the west as a teenager.

She amazed everyone who knew her when she abruptly quit smoking cold turkey after 40 years. And she had beautiful penmanship and great taste in stationary.

She was also a very young military wife and mother, giving birth to her first son, Larry, in 1971 when she was 19 years old. She and her then husband, Lawrence Charles Barrett II, were stationed in Fort Hood, Texas during the latter stages of the Vietnam war.

After relocating back to Casper, Kathy gave birth to her second son, Jon, in 1974. Shortly thereafter, she gave birth to her daughter, Amanda, who tragically passed away several months later. She would then endure the passing of her fourth child, Mathew, shortly thereafter as well.

In 1980, she would give birth to her fifth and last child, Samuel. Undeterred by unspeakable tragedies, she and her husband were resolute in growing their family.

Kathy was, by all accounts, a fantastic wife and mother. While she was at times primarily a homemaker, she also worked several disparate jobs throughout her life. She was also a very talented artist and poet who encouraged all of her children in whatever passions and interests they followed.

While there were certainly many lean times during her child-rearing years, Kathy always made sure each of her beloved children were well fed, had clean clothes and a clean home and enjoyed spectacular birthday celebrations and holidays. Her love was unconditional.

She went all out for special events for all the people in her life, often at great personal sacrifice. She was the definition of selfless and supportive up to the last few days and hours of her life. Frankly, she deserved better from this world and her sweetness and concern for her children was matched by her remarkable ability to survive in the worst of circumstances.

She was the definition of a working mom for most of her life. Along with her work as a hairdresser, Kathy worked as a bookkeeper at Rocky Mountain Sheet Metal, a special education aide for elementary students, a retail clerk at the Sears department store, and at a variety of administrative and office roles for law firms and other small businesses.

Kathy was hilarious and willing to be goofy to make someone smile, to get a laugh. More often than not, she answered the phone while singing a song. She cherished the memories and achievements of all three of her boys, supporting them through their sports, academics and professional careers. She was their No. 1 fan.

She was also a loving and supportive wife to both of her husbands. She had all of her children with her first husband, Lawrence, but later in life found love again with Richard Mestas, who preceded her in death by less than two months. They were both lengthy marriages with many ups and downs, as most are, but she spoke highly of both men often throughout her life.

Kathy had a sweet tooth. She loved seafood and mushrooms and, regrettably, liver and onions. She enjoyed music, television shows – particularly Food Network content later in life – as well as movies, sports and the outdoors. She had a passion for nature and wildlife and spent much of her childhood and late adulthood outside taking in beautiful scenery found throughout the western United States.

She is survived by her son Larry and his wife Kristina, son Jon and his wife Autumn, son Samuel and his wife Rebecca along with 11 grandchildren: Georgia, Jake, Andrew and his wife Hannah, Ian, Elijah, Nova, Kaldron, Matthew, Zachary, Christopher and Alexander as well as four great-grandchildren: Benjamin, Amelia, Vivian and Roman.

She was preceded in death by both of her husbands, Lawrence Barrett and Richard Mestas, her brother Gary, her biological father Jasper Cornett, her mother Beverly Hicks-Clark, her adoptive father Van H. Hicks, her two beloved children, Amanda Renee and Mathew Adam and her beloved great-granddaughter Oaklee Jo.

She will be deeply missed by us all and we hope and pray that we can honor all that she was and all that she did for each of us as we move down the road without her until we hear her singing and laughing once again.