Kathleen Angela Stringer passed away peacefully on September 17, 2026 with family at her side. She was a loving mother, devoted wife, beloved grandmother, cherished daughter, sister, aunt and friend.

Kathy was born in General Hospital in Eureka on March 13, 1943 to John Edward Davy and Doris Mae Davy (nee Meenen), the second of five children. She was raised in Loleta, California. She attended Loleta Elementary and was a member of the first class to graduate from the current campus in 1957. She once claimed to her son, Ken, that while attending Loleta Elementary, she had once ruffled some feathers on the baseball diamond by outplaying many of the boys. She went on to graduate from St. Bernard’s High School in 1961. During high school and the summer afterwards, Kathy worked as a bank teller at the original Bank of Loleta on Main Street in Loleta.

Kathy met her husband at a school dance by chance, when latecomer Patrick Stringer asked to cut in for the very last dance. They dated for three years, while Kathy attended nursing school and Pat joined the Air Force, before marrying on June 29, 1963. Kathy spent the next 20 years raising a family of four boys with Pat as they moved from Air Force assignments around the globe. They lived in Utah, Illinois, West Germany, Washington, Nebraska, England, California, and, Kathy’s favorite, Hawaii. Throughout her military travels, she was an active member of her community and the Church. She volunteered for several women’s and altar societies, sang with the Skylarks Choir, and even donned a uniform as a Cub Scout Den Mother.

A devout Catholic, she championed the cause of aiding young women to understand the precious blessing of the life of the unborn. She supported many families in need through the Pregnancy Care Center, giving and raising funds to provide diapers, formula, and parenting classes. The Virgin Mary was particularly close to her heart and she recited the Holy Rosary daily. Kathy made several pilgrimages in her life, including to Medjugorje, Lourdes, and Fátima. She gave generously to various charitable causes, including support for priests and sisters serving the poor around the world. She volunteered as a CCD teacher when her granddaughters were making their First Communion.

Kathy always worked hard to take care of her family. She wisely made the most of a military family’s income, stretching every dollar to create a warm, loving, and fun household. She could clip a coupon with the best of them and was on the forefront of recycling, requiring her boys to bring their paper lunch bags back from school. Whenever possible, she would enroll her sons in Catholic schools. When her sons attended St. Augustine Academy in San Diego, she even worked as the Dean’s assistant to defray some of the costs.

When the family resettled in Humboldt County in 1982, she once again worked as a bank teller, this time at Bank of America and Imperial Savings and Loan. She also worked alongside Pat in the janitorial company they owned together.

Kathy was a fun, gregarious lady with a quick wit and wonderful sense of humor. She easily made many life-long friends and dutifully corresponded with them throughout her life. She enjoyed traveling to visit her sons and grandchildren wherever they landed, such as Germany, Minnesota, Kentucky, Oregon, Washington DC and Hawaii.

One of her favorite past times was playing cards and board games at the table and online with her sons, grandchildren, sisters, niece and grandnieces. She always claimed to be an awful cook, but everyone looked forward to eating at her table. No one could make lasagna, fried rice or tuna-pickle sandwiches like her.

She was a wonderful grandmother and an integral part of her grandchildren’s’ upbringing. She had a knack for turning household chores, like cleaning windows or hanging laundry, into fun and exciting activities. She bravely taught her boys and a few grandchildren how to drive. Her granddaughters will always cherish memories of sleepovers, weekly family dinners, applesauce-making, marigold-planting, and long walks through the neighborhood with their grandma. Even though she was unable to be with her grandsons as much as she and they would have liked, she was well loved by them. They have many fond memories of spending time in California with “Gramma,” with her usually beating them at UNO and Crazy Eights. They looked forward to Grandma and Grandpa’s visits to Minnesota. One of their favorite times was the camping trip to South Dakota, visiting Mt. Rushmore and watching the fireworks.  Though miles kept them apart, they all thought of her often and she was (and is) greatly missed.

She will be remembered for her remarkable selflessness and generosity, always going to great lengths to ensure her family’s needs were met. When Pat developed Alzheimer’s shortly after retirement, she lovingly cared for him at their home for many hard years. She even endured a hip replacement during this time, only being down for a couple weeks. Even after developing Lewy Body disease in her last few years, her kind nature was clear to all as she focused on caring for and loving the children that she alone could see.

Kathy is preceded in death by her husband of 56 years, Patrick Stringer; her parents, John and Doris Davy; and her brother, Jerry Davy. She is survived by her children Shaun (Sandy), Kevin (Treyce), Ken, and Keith (Andra); siblings, Illeen (Alan) Knapp, Jeannette (George) Nichols, and Patrick (Linda) Davy; her grandchildren, Joshua (Melissa), Ryan, Shane (Brinley), Chaddwik, Sydney, Corey, Samantha, Avery, and Sophie; and great-grandchildren James, Kieran and Naomi.

A memorial Mass will be held on Thursday, September 24 at 10 a.m. at St. Patrick’s Church in Loleta. A recitation of the Holy Rosary will be held before the Mass at 9:30 a.m.

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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Kathy Stringer’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here. Email news@lostcoastoutpost.com.