Mary Katherine McCaston

Mary Katherine (Kathy) McCaston was born on October 29, 1958 and passed away on November 19, 2025, surrounded by family and friends. Kathy was an amazing person. She was deeply admired and loved by her close family and friends. She was curious, loving, caring, empathetic, adventurous, and filled with grace. She really thrived when meeting new people and truly valued learning their stories and experiences.
When she went to college at University of South Carolina, she accumulated friends like a person accumulates clothes. People were drawn to her because she was so invested in getting to know them. Her sense of humor was always evident in her observations of us humans and how our flaws were our greatest strengths. She moved to Arizona in 1988 to begin her graduate work at University of Arizona. Her commitment to helping those ignored or undervalued by society led to wonderful travels to Mexico and then to Ecuador to learn about the local communities and their economies. While at Arizona, Kathy met Michael Young, her soulmate and love of her life and they married in 1995. Together and for the nearly 34 years since they met, they traveled across the world, allowing each other to grow and contribute as they found important. Kathy was always excited to meet new people and learn from them, always leaving any space she occupied with new friends blessed to have met her.
Kathy and Michael adopted many dogs, saved many more through fostering, and created a wonderful family. Kathy always stayed in touch with everyone she met. She was a beautiful soul that created jewelry, fun quilts, gorgeous mosaics, and spectacular ceramic vessels. She shared her art with generosity and grace. Kathy had many passions, but perhaps none more important to her than animal rescues and fostering.
Kathy was the youngest child of the late Lee and Edith McCaston of Blythewood, South Carolina. Kathy was predeceased by her parents, sisters, Virginia Kihoi and Evelyn Jenkins and brothers, William, James and Wallace McCaston. She is survived by her husband Michael Young also of Austin, Texas, her beloved cousin and best friend Gail Cook Corn, her sister Connie Edwards of South Carolina, and many cousins, nieces and nephews. She is also survived by her many friends from Columbia, South Carolina, Tucson, Arizona, Austin, Texas, and her many international collaborators and friends she met through CARE, and the Young clan.
Kathy's light will forever shine bright in our hearts and souls. Her spirit is now in all of us.