Kathy Waters

Just a month shy of her 75th birthday, Kathy Ann Waters peacefully returned to her heavenly home on April 17, 2023, after a long and valiant battle with Alzheimer's.

Kathy was born May 19, 1948, in Milwaukee, Wisconsin, to John Leonard Van Da Walker, Jr. and Alice Elizabeth Ballman, and was the fifth of six children.

She moved to Utah to attend Brigham Young University where she met her eternal companion, David Waters, who was also attending school there. Years later she told her family that when she first saw and met David, it was love at first sight. They married in the Mesa Arizona Temple for time and all eternity on September 4, 1969, and after being married for more than 53 years, they were still madly in love with each other. She always recognized and knew David regardless of the confusion caused by memory loss.

Kathy was a very creative person and loved using her creativity to make beautiful things. One of her many talents was quilting. She was Vice President of the Utah Quilt Guild and was a great leader in that capacity. She created her own quilt patterns, made many beautiful quilts, and taught quilting classes. Kathy was a gifted teacher of the art of quilting and helped many people who wanted to learn quilting and sewing, including her two daughters.

Genealogy was very important to Kathy. She was able to find hundreds of ancestors from many parts of the world and prepared their names for their temple work to be done. She spent countless hours researching those names and had a great love for them and for the work. One of the highlights for her was when she was able to be sealed to her parents in the Salt Lake Temple on October 6, 1995, a dream she had for almost 30 years.

Kathy was a convert to the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints and was faithful throughout her life. She loved the Church and served in various callings in Primary and Relief Society. Her favorite calling was to be a wife and mother.

Kathy has fought a good fight, she has finished her course, she has kept the faith. And there is laid up for her a crown of righteousness, which the Lord, the righteous judge, shall give her at that day (2 Tim 4:7-8). Her family loves her and looks forward to reuniting with her one day.

She is survived by her loving husband, David, three children, Teresa, Tim (Stephanie), and Marilee, 10 grandchildren, 14 great-grandchildren, and her siblings Joan Reece, Lillian McCray, and Bill Van Da Walker. She is preceded in death by her parents, her brother, John Leonard Van Da Walker, III, her sister, Sharon Zimmerman, her son-in-law, Lloyd Ricks and her precious baby boy, Andrew.

The family gives special thanks to Renew Hospice and especially to her nurse, Hali, who gave such dedicated care to her. The family also thanks all the staff at Capitol Hill Care Center for all their love and care for Kathy. Thank you to all who showed her love and kindness.

Funeral Services will be held Monday, April 24, 2023 at 12:00 pm at the Jordan 6th Ward, located at 3650 West 4400 South, Salt Lake City, Utah. A viewing will be held at the Jordan 6th Ward on Sunday, April 23, 2023 from 6:00 to 8:00 pm and on Monday, April 24, 2023 from 11:00 to 11:45 am prior to the funeral services. Interment will immediately follow the Monday funeral services at Valley View Memorial Park at 4335 West 4100 South, West Valley City, Utah.

To attend services vitually please visit: http://tiny.cc/KathyWatersFuneral