Kathy Howenstine, 85, was born on November 23, 1940, in Canton, Ohio to parents, Ryllis and John Howenstine, and lived a life defined not by volume, but by depth. She passed on Christmas morning, having given nearly fifty years of her heart to her beloved wife, Evie Augustadt, and having left an unmistakable imprint on everyone lucky enough to be truly seen by her.

Kathy met Evie while living in Racine, Wisconsin, where she worked as a social worker, a role that suited her rare and generous spirit. Their partnership of 49 years became the steady center of Kathy’s life, a shared journey built on care, advocacy, humor, and deep devotion. Together, they created a home rooted in compassion, curiosity, and love.

Kathy had an extraordinary ability to relate to anyone, no matter where they were in life. She listened in a way that made people feel heard, and she loved in a way that made people feel they mattered, especially when they doubted that themselves. Her generosity had no boundaries and no hesitation. She cared fiercely about justice, housing equity, and LGBTQ+ rights, and she gave her time and energy to those whose voices were too often ignored.

Her heart expanded easily to animals as well. Kathy adored her cats and dogs and made sure they were never far from her side, even crafting a seat in the front of her car so they could ride alongside her, exactly where they belonged. Love, to Kathy, was not meant to wait in the back.

Kathy faced periods of mental health struggle throughout her life, experiences that deepened her empathy and strengthened her resolve. In her later years, she found treatment that allowed her something she had long earned: peace. She became content with who she was and where she stood, a quiet but profound victory.

She was also an unapologetic football enthusiast, passionately following both college and professional teams. She cheered enthusiastically for Ohio State at the college level and held devoted loyalties to the Denver Broncos and the Kansas City Chiefs, somehow managing to love them all, a small reminder that Kathy’s heart always had room for more than one allegiance.

Kathy is survived by her wife of 49 years, Evie Augustadt; family members Jeffrey Lindh (husband, William), Jay Quadracci (wife, Kristin), and Jodi Marino (husband, George); daughters-in-law Donna Quadracci and Carol Quadracci; her grandchildren Nia Quadracci, Stiano Quadracci, Tony Caravella, Matthew Marino, Sarah Marino, Rachel Marino, Alyssa Quadracci, Brea Quadracci, Garet Quadracci, Jenna Quadracci, and Terra Killingbeck, Paul Rabehl and Remy Clarke; Kathy’s sister Janis Rutecki (husband, Greg; children, Jared and John); and her brother Herb Howenstine (child, Anita); extended family: Catherine Burns, Ricia Reilly, Kathy McRea, Genesis Campbell and Treyson Stoner.

She was preceded in death by children James Quadracci, Jeri Caravella, Joel Quadracci, and John Quadracci.

Kathy will be remembered for her unwavering compassion, her fierce sense of justice, her devotion to those she loved, and her remarkable ability to make people feel less alone in the world. Her legacy lives on in every life she touched, every animal she cherished, and every person who left her presence feeling just a little more seen.

Above all else, Kathy’s greatest devotion was to Evie. For 49 years, she chose her every day, with steadiness, loyalty, and a love that did not waver. Evie was Kathy’s home, her constant, her safest place to land. In Evie, Kathy found partnership, laughter, purpose, and a love that carried her through every season of life. Their bond was the quiet miracle at the center of Kathy’s world, and it remains her most enduring legacy.

In late spring, Kathy’s ashes will be spread in Boulder, a place she loved, where those closest to her will gather to celebrate her life, her compassion, and the love that anchored her always. 

Donations may be made in her honor at Our Center and Southern Poverty Law Center