Katherine Virginia Coram

1947 - 2025

Katherine Virginia Coram of Silver Spring, Maryland, passed away peacefully at age 77 on January 13, 2025, surrounded by dear friends. She was born July 12, 1947, in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, to the late John Aubrey Coram of Missouri and Ruth Neille Myers of Virginia. She attended Abington High School where she was a member of the Affiliation Club, Folklore and Folk Music Club, Forum Club, French Club, History Club, Social Studies Seminar, and Orchestra. She moved to Washington, DC, to attend American University. After graduating from American University in 1968, she went to Trinity College, receiving her MAT degree in 1970.
She was elected in the inaugural Advisory Neighborhood Commission elections in DC in 1975 to represent the McClean Gardens community area of Ward 3. She was also instrumental in tenant organizing, leading to modification of the 1970's plans to redevelop McClean Gardens to keep several of the original buildings as low-rise condos and significant settlements for many tenants.
Katherine worked at the National Archives (later, and Records Administration) from the late 1970s until her retirement in 2010. She was always looking for ways to improve the working environment and the experience of employees there. She was active in the American Federation of Government Employees, heading its Health and Safety Committee for several years. She chaired the Federal Women's Program Committee and worked as an employee representative in negotiating employee disputes. She was a proud 2 percenter during her time there. In retirement she taught writing classes for social services recipients and at a retirement community, worked on various suicide prevention and mental health hotlines, and pursued a number of craft projects. She was active in the Takoma Park Presbyterian Church in her later years.
Katherine loved animals, especially cats and rabbits. She was mother to many cats over the years. She was generous and made friends wherever she went; shopkeepers and waitresses at places she frequented became her friends. She had a wide circle of friends. She also was a wonderful godmother to Rosemary Land and grandmother to her children, Diana, Joshua, and Kelly. She loved giving gifts, especially books, to all the children in her life and in the lives of those she befriended.
Katherine is survived by her sister, Linda Henson; brother, Donald Coram; nieces Wendy and Mandy; nephews Neil, Geoffrey, and Michael; grand nieces and nephews; and life-long friend Susan Carroll; She was a loving, caring, and generous person who will be missed by all who knew her.
A celebration of life service will be held May 17, 2025. Call or text Susan Carroll at 240-559-7970 for information.