Katharine “Katie” Elizabeth Lantz, 41, of Broomfield, passed away surrounded by family after a 2 year battle with brain cancer.

Katie was born Wilmington, Delaware, where she was raised by her parents, Jay Lantz and Barbara Lewis, and step-parents Peyton Lewis and Sharon Lantz. She attended St. Ann’s School and graduated from Padua Academy in 2002. She then moved to Philadelphia, Pennsylvania to attend LaSalle University, where she was active in theater and, in 2006, graduated with degrees in psychology and communications, which she used to pursue a career in marketing. Outside of work, Katie was a dedicated martial artist, having earned her second degree black belt in Brazilian Ju Jitsu, competing nationally, and writing Skirt on the Mat, a successful blog about her experience in the sport. She was also an avid reader and writer, and an enthusiast for genealogy, proudly tracing her ancestry back to the Mayflower and famed American Revolutionary Hannah White Arnett. Katie also loved to learn new languages and to travel, having visited destinations around the US, as well as France, Spain and Costa Rica. In 2016, Katie met her husband, Alex Reiff, with whom she moved to Colorado in 2022 and married in 2023. While in Colorado, she pursued new hobbies such as hiking, archery and crochet, as well as learning to code in hopes of pursuing a new career as a full stack developer.

Katie is remembered as someone who was strong but kind, direct but funny, and a role model for many at work and a trailblazer for women in martial arts. Katie is survived by her husband Alex and their dog Jimmy, her mother Barbara, father Jay, and stepmother Sharon, parents-in-law Cindy and Demetrius Trihoulis and Greg and Lenee Reiff, her brother Justin (Kristen) Lantz and stepbrother Bruce Conrad, siblings in law Matt (Adrienne) Reiff, Alayna (Kevin) McKeegan and Lindsey (Jess) James, and many friends and other relatives.

Celebrations of Katie’s life will be held in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania and Silverton, Colorado on dates to be determined. The San Juan County Office of Emergency Management has named a radio repeater in Katie’s name.

Donations may be made in Katie’s name to the charities that she supported:

American Civil Liberties Union (aclu.org)

Native American Rights Fund (narf.org)

Girls in Gis (girls-in-gis.com)