Kathleen Hunt

Delores Kathleen Thompson was born on February 12, 1937, in Los Angeles, California, to Ruth Leyshon Thompson and Paul Revere Thompson. Her mother referenced her arrival as a “hurdle from heaven.” Kathleen went by her middle name, which started in her early grade school years. She had a passion for learning which grew into a desire to excel in school, especially in music class where her mother was the teacher. Kathleen was heavily involved in the organization Job’s Daughters during her academic years, graduating high school with honors from the Los Angeles County School District. Kathleen attended the UCLA School of Nursing, graduating in 1958 with Summa Cum Laude honors. She quickly entered the world of public health, working herself through the different nursing and administrative positions as she worked her way into public health management. During this time, Kathleen married with the new last name of Hunt, and gave birth to her three daughters, Erin, Kel, and Heather, calling them her “treasures.”

Kathleen attended Cal State Los Angeles where she was a member of Sigma Theta Tau International Honor Society of Nursing, along with being a member of Beta Gamma Sigma, graduating with her master’s in nursing in 1992. She assisted in managerial duties at the Pomona Health Center, along with the La Puente Health Center, as the Nursing Director. Kathleen’s final job was working “downtown LA,” as she would call it, with the title of Director of Public Health Nursing for Los Angeles County, California. She retired in February 1999 after dedicating her nursing talent of 39 years with the County of Los Angeles. For Kathleen’s self-retirement gift, she took a cruise around the world, which further fanned her passion for travel, taking small trips with her daughters in the many years prior to her retirement.

After retiring, Kathleen traveled the world as a member of the groups American Women for International Understanding (AWIU) and American Association of University Women (AAUW), visiting the countries of Peru, Africa, Russia, Australia, Greenland, Argentina, Saudi Arabia, and Iceland, to name a few. She was President of AWIU for 2 years where, under her leadership, she led a delegation to Croatia. Kathleen found a passion for mentoring to women of poverty, empowering everyone she encountered on her travels.

When not traveling, Kathleen enjoyed her time with the Whittier Bruins Club, the UCLA Scholarship Committee, the Red Hat Society (2 charters), First Christian Church choir, and book clubs, along with meeting family and friends for a casual meal. Kathleen’s travels concluded in November 2018 when she moved in with her youngest daughter and her husband, Heather and Larry, where she would spend her final years being surrounded by the love and support of her family and friends.

Kathleen leaves behind her daughters Erin, Kel, and Heather, along with Heather’s husband Larry. She also leaves behind her grandson Anthony, whom she called her “pride and joy.” She has joined the heavenly spirits of her mother Ruth, father Paul, brother Graham, and sons-in-law’s Paul Rado and Mike Henderson. Kathleen would not want her family or friends to cry for her passing, but instead, celebrate the memories she had with you, knowing how much her family and friends meant to her.

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