Kathe Elizabeth Lyth was born in Berkeley to Karol and Ruth Hok on March 4th, 1948. She grew up in the Oakland Hills and was raised to be a free-spirit, always walking to the beat of her own drum with a passion for nature, adventure, and music which permeated every aspect of her life. Her fondest memories were of times spent with her adoring father, who instilled in her a profound appreciation of nature. She coveted weekends away with him when they would load their gear into his old Chevy station wagon and head for the mountains to backpack to pristine alpine lakes - just the two of them with the silence and beauty of the wilderness.

When Kathe was five years old, she decided to be like the Three Little Pigs and “seek her fortune.” In the wee hours of the morning, she put on red suspenders, packed a handkerchief with food, tied the kerchief to a stick, and wandered out alone into the hills behind her house. She returned home hungry but safe to her worried parents late in the evening, having had a wonderful time. This foreshadowed her journey as a fearless, adventurous spirit. She later claimed that she was half wood nymph. She sang to the cows in the meadow and birds in the trees, and always preferred sleeping outside in a sleeping bag to a bed. She was a natural-born composer and musician who discovered harmony in nature. Her phenomenal talent, creativity, and desire to bring peace to the world through music ultimately became her life and legacy.

She met her future husband, Kjeld Lyth at the age of 14 on a blind date arranged by her brother, Greg. Kjeld loved that Kathe was quirky and unique from other girls. Sharing a mutual passion for the outdoors, they embraced every opportunity to escape to the mountains, which included their honeymoon in 1974. Over the years Kathe and Kjeld spent much time apart; from Kathe’s years teaching on the Navajo Reservation, in Hungary, and in Spain, to Kjeld’s time as a Force Recon Marine in Vietnam and pursuing his career as an actor. They both agreed that their love of nature and the wilderness was the glue that held them together.

Kjeld moved to Humboldt County in 1975 to pursue his master’s degree in Theater at Humboldt State University, and was joined by Kathe in 1978 when she founded the Redwood Coast Children’s Chorus. Beginning with 5 young students in a friend’s basement, the chorus later expanded into an internationally acclaimed professional singing group with as many as 7 chorus levels from Preschool to High School. The RCCC was her life’s work and impacted the lives of hundreds of families throughout Humboldt County.

In 1982, Kathe and Kjeld brought their daughter Sonja into the world, and in 1985 their daughter Sasha. The girls were raised backpacking and singing/ touring with the chorus, instilling in them a deep respect for nature, music, creativity, and adventure alike. In 1993 while Kjeld was acting in the Colorado Shakespeare Festival, Kathe decided to take the girls on a three-week West Coast road trip, visiting Kjeld along the way. She chose never to stop at designated camping grounds. Instead, she would stop at ranger stations and ask where to find the most naturally beautiful, remote locations. With a map and two young girls, she drove off into the sunset.

Kathe was a dreamer who brought her dreams to life. Her passion for music and teaching radiated into the hearts and minds of her students and their families, and her conviction that music can change the world became reality. With support from the community, her chorus raised $60,000 to send its then 40 participants on their first “World Harmony Tour.” The Chorus departed for a three-week tour to Russia and Romania on March 12, 1989, Sonja’s 7th birthday. The novelty of the tour at that time was amplified by the fact that the RCCC was one of the first groups to travel to Communist Russia, following the collapse of the Soviet Union. Tensions were still high, but the group persevered, spreading peace, hope, and love through music, building international bridges, and making connections that lasted lifetimes. The success of this first tour was the catalyst for a tradition that has since brought hundreds of Humboldt County Youth to 17 Countries on 9 World Harmony Tours. Participants of the RCCC unanimously agree that times spent with the chorus and on tour were some of the most impactful moments of their lives - from singing in airports and airplanes, to ancient cathedrals and castles, to impromptu performances in storefronts, on sidewalks, and in remote villages, to schools, hospitals, and churches - the sharing of music in these settings was profound and truly life-altering. While for most “changing the world” is a lofty ideal for one human to take on, for Kathe, it was a simple truth. Kathe changed the world. Her students are now spread out all over the world, from professional musicians and performers to teachers, to those involved in social projects affecting change, her legacy lives on in each of them - and in us - her light continues to shine brightly in our hearts and minds.

Kathe was a fighter. In fact, she had more lives than a cat! The multitude of close calls and struggles that she survived throughout her life were more than any person should endure, but her “Pollyanna” attitude and will to live always kept her “marching 4th,” as she liked to say (in reference to her birth date). One of these close calls, however, had lingering repurcussions. When she was 25 years old, she was hiking with Kjeld in celebration of receiving a music scholarship to Holy Names College and was bitten by a rattlesnake. While being treated for the bite, she suffered an allergic reaction to penicillin, and to save her life, she received a blood transfusion. At the time it was not tested for disease, and she unknowingly contracted Hepatitis C. After laying dormant in her system for over 40 years, The hepatitis turned to cirrhosis of the liver, and ultimately liver cancer.

Kathe left this world on Thursday, October 22nd after a brave and determined battle with cancer that was compounded by a fractured pelvis. She fought like a warrior until the very end. Her family is moved by the outpouring of love and support from the community, the friends who stayed by her side through an impossibly difficult time, and the chorus alumni who came together in her final days to honor her through music before her passing. While the void she has left in our lives is expansive, there is peace in knowing that she is no longer in pain, and we envision her now, with her radiance and infectious smile, walking with her father to some alpine lake, fishing poles in hand, singing and laughing together.

Kathe is survived by her devoted and loving husband, Kjeld Lyth, their daughters Sasha and Sonja Lyth, her brother Jerry Hok and his daughters and their families, her brother Greg Hok and his children, her aunt Kitty Hok and her children, her stepsister Pam Rhodes and her family, her “adopted” sisters, Jill Vollmuth and Charlotte Nygren, her many loyal friends, family, and extended family, and the RCCC community who remain dedicated to her infinite legacy.

###