Kathryn (Barrows) Casady Smith passed away peacefully on May 4, 2023, in Jupiter, Florida.
She was born in Trenton, Missouri on December 21, 1925, the daughter of George and Martha Barrows. She spent her early years in northern Missouri where her family owned pharmacies. Kathryn happily tended the soda bar as a young girl and, as a result, had a fondness for ice cream that remained all of her life.
Kathryn was part of the ‘Greatest Generation.’ She married Gilbert “Gib” Casady in 1941 and soon after he was drafted to serve in World War II and shipped overseas. Kathryn moved to Kansas City and worked and lived with a group of women whose husbands were also serving. This group of hard-working women remained lifelong friends.
After her husband finished medical school at the University of Kansas, Kathryn and Gib moved to Smithville, Missouri where they started a family. Within a couple of years, the family moved to Seattle, Washington where Kathryn fell in love with the Pacific Northwest and would later enjoy many years of her life.
After finishing Gib’s residency, the family moved to Kansas City. During the ensuing years, she raised 3 boys and was active in the DAR and Symphony league. One of her happiest days was when her oldest son became a state high school champion in swimming.
In 1972, the family moved to Hutchinson, Kansas. There she and her husband became very involved in the area both professionally and socially.
In 1985, Kathryn returned to Kansas City after Gib’s passing in 1983. Over the next decade, she embarked on a real estate career and earned several awards recognizing her success. Her granddaughters looked up to her achievements and shared the benefits of her adventurous spirit at Worlds of Fun roller coaster rides each summer.
Kathryn’s marriage to Dr. C. Robert “Bob” Smith in 1995 took her back to the Pacific Northwest in Sequim, Washington. They spent the next 20 years travelling the world and enjoying frequent hunting and fishing trips together. Kathryn’s grandsons especially enjoyed visiting her and Bob during this time. Bob passed away in 2015 and soon after Kathryn relocated to Jupiter, Florida to be near family.
Kathryn is preceded in death by her mother and father, George and Martha Barrows, husbands Gilbert Casady and C. Robert Smith, son Neal, and brother G. Thomas Barrows. She is survived by her sons Brian (Ruth) and Paul (Shelly), four grandchildren and eight great grandchildren.
Memorial service will be 1:00 p.m. Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Elliot Mortuary, Hutchinson, Kansas. Inurnment will follow in Memorial Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Kathryn’s name to The Mayo Clinic, Jacksonville, Florida, in care of Elliott Mortuary, 1219 N. Main, Hutchinson, KS 67501.