Kathleen Marie Spear (Hand)

Kathy was born in Gary, Indiana on August 15, 1951 to John and Marie (Sabocik) Hand, the 4 ^th of 9 children. She passed away on October 26, 2022, after a year long battle with endometrial cancer.

Kathy was a strong and vibrant presence in the lives of everyone she touched. She could answer anyone's questions about how to do anything, often after extensive research, and she would gladly volunteer her opinions on the subject at hand. She was the cool aunt that all the nieces and nephews wanted to emulate. Kathy was an inspiration to all who knew her as she struggled to survive and build a life for herself despite the tragic teenage deaths of her children to Sanfilippo Syndrome. Her second marriage brought her a step-child and eventually 2 grandchildren, and more of a life of comfort, but she was just as cool.

Kathy had a widely varying career, including salad girl, medical transcription, computer technical support, computer technical writing, Ebay training, and travel agent. Later in life, she developed a taste for cruising. She and her husband, Dan, took numerous cruises in her last 15 years, including to Alaska, Iceland, Russia, Greece, and Israel. She also loved to plan trips for her friends and family, and to include them in her own cruises. Her hobbies included photography, crafts, and cat ownership.

She is predeceased in her immediate family by her parents and her sons, Zachary and Cody Chavez, and her brother, Dave. She is survived by her other brothers and sisters: Doug Hand (Mary), Fr. Denny Hand, Nancy SeDoris (Don), Lorrie Lavarnway (Bob), Janice Iafrate, Dan Hand, and Patty Curley (Bob). She is also survived by her husband, Dan Spear, her step-daughter, Chloe Ray (Ed), and her grandchildren, Milo and Finn Ray.

If desired, please make any donations in her name to the National MPS Society, www.mpssociety.org, the group that deals with the disease that took her children. www.mpssociety.org

curesanfilippofoundation.org