Kathryn Grace Ward, 61

Kathryn Grace Ward, nee Davis, of Palatine, IL died July 9, 2012. 

Kathy was born November 17, 1950 in Alliance, NE to J. Keith Davis, Sr. and Dorothy (nee Garrett) Davis.  She lived with her family on a farm on the Mirage Flats south of Hay Springs, NE until she was 13, attending rural school at District 30.  She was baptized and confirmed at St. Peter’s Lutheran Church on Mirage Flats.

In 1963 she moved with her family to Sargent, NE for two years, and then to St. Paul, NE where she graduated from high school in 1969.   Kathy attended Kearney State College for two years, and in the summer of 1971 she took a position with the Lutheran Church Youth Ministry, traveling throughout southeastern Canada.  There she met her future husband Larry Ward.  They were wed May 4, 1974 and made their home in Waterloo, Ontario, Canada.    Kathy continued her education at Wilfred Laurier University graduating in 1974. In 1986, Kathy and Larry moved to Texas, where Kathy entered law school at Baylor University in Waco.

They later moved to Palatine, where Kathy completed her Juris Doctorate in Law at John Marshall Law School in Chicago in 1990.  Kathy served as an Assistant Public Defender in the Cook County judicial system from 1990 until her death. 

Kathy was preceded in death by her father and brother Rev. J. Keith Davis, Jr.  She is survived by her husband, one son J. Kristopher Ward, her mother Dorothy Davis of St. Paul, NE, one brother Don Davis and wife Rosemary of Broken Bow, NE., one brother-in-law Kenneth Ward and wife Diane of Winnipeg, Canada, two nephews and two nieces. 

Memorial visitation Saturday, July 14, 2012, from 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. at Smith-Corcoran Funeral Home, 185 E. Northwest Hwy., Palatine.  A date and time for funeral services in St. Paul, NE are pending. Interment will be at Forest Lawn Rural Cemetery near Morrill, NE.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to the Salvation Army or a charity of your choice.  For information, 847-359-8020 or visit Kathryn’s memorial at www.smithcorcoran.com.