Kathleen Davis Mayhew

Kathleen Davis Mayhew
Kathleen Mayhew, 81 died Thursday, August 10, 2023, after battling eight years with Frontal Temporal Dementia. She was surrounded by her husband Frank, family and friends.

She was engaged to Frank back in 1958, but because of her age she bent to the pressure from her family to break the engagement. She later married David Ethridge and had three children, Janet, Kari and Matt. Her children gave her eight grandchildren; Janet (Caitlyn, Mason and Eloira); Kari (Aidan and Everett); Matt (Maeve, Boone and Wyatt). Caitlyn and Mason have given her five great-grandchildren. She is also survived by her sisters, Maureen Howe and Sydney Mitchell.

In 1994, Kathie and Frank got together again and have had 29 years of a fantastic marriage. Shortly after marrying Kathie and Frank visited a Rotary based project in Mexico, Project Amigo and their passion for Rotary international service was ignited. In 2003 they visited Rotarians in Uganda to look at potential Rotary projects. Kathie had an uncanny ability to see problems and find solutions. During visit to the Entebbe Hospital. She saw the deplorable conditions in the maternity ward and when they got home, she founded the Little Red Hen Foundation to build a new 56-bed maternity ward for the Entebbe Hospital. Uncountable women and babies' lives have been saved by this single act of compassion.

On another trip to Uganda Kathie learned of the hardships faced by young elementary school girls who were raped by teachers, village men or family and were impregnated, which resulted in the girls being kicked out of school as being 'immoral'. Many of these girls were doomed to a life of poverty. Last year the Anthill Foundation in Uganda (Another foundation started by Kathie) decided to build a vocational school for these young, un-wed mothers. She will miss the opening of this school, but it is being built in her memory.

Kathie never saw herself as a leader, but shortly after she and Frank were married in Sebastopol. She was appointed the Board of Directors of the Sebastopol Chamber of Commerce, then served on the Santa Rosa Symphony board, and became president of the Sebastopol Rotary.

An amazing woman filled with love and compassion she changed many people's lives and saved others.

Donations in Kathie's memory can be sent to Anthillfoundation.org for the vocational school.