SOMERVILLE - Katie Westfall Tharp died January 29th 2020 in her home, with her father, sisters, husband, son and many close friends at her side.
Wherever she was, Katie made everything around her better and more beautiful — Houses, film sets, experiences, ideas, people. She brought to the world a sense of how it should be, and it bothered her when the world refused to cooperate..She had a fierce sense of fun, a competitive streak (especially when it came to running charades) and a love of design that led to long afternoons scouring the Brimfield antiques market.
Katie loved her life and for almost a decade she fought cancer at every step. After her diagnosis, she refused to give up the dreams she had and decided instead to simply live them. She got married to the love of her life and had a beautiful son, Oliver. She designed and built a house for her family which made her insane, but she grew to love it. At first, she continued to work — Katie was a talented Set Decorator whose credits include Inside Amy Schumer, the Electric Company, and Human Giant. When she couldn’t work anymore, she designed the houses and weddings of her friends up until her death.She never stopped being creative. She traveled the world — Visiting her family in Nebraska, her many friends everywhere, and Italy and France to keep finding new experiences. Even at the end, she clung to life with a stubbornness that surprised the nurses taking care of her. Those who knew her were not surprised, she was simply being herself.
Surviving Katie are her husband, Eugene Mirman, son Oliver Mirman; father Kenton Tharp and step-mother Bonnie Frank; sisters Ahna Sadowski, Jen Weaver, and Megan Weaver. Katie was preceded in death by her mother Diane Westfall of Amherst, MA.
Katie was born in Greenfield, Mass., in 1980. She graduated from Parsons School of Design and lived in Brooklyn, where she met Eugene and made a world of friends. Katie fell in love with the sparkling shoreline of Woods Hole, MA, where she frequently spent weekends, and eventually she and Eugene made their home between Woods Hole and Somerville.
Katie's family requests that memorial gifts go to Katie's not for profit Hospice, Care Dimensions, or to the research fund at Dana Farber. For Care Dimensions, Checks can be mailed to 75 Sylvan Street, Suite B-102, Danvers, MA 01923. Donations can be made online at https://give.caredimensions.org. Gifts may be made to Dana-Farber Cancer Institute in memory of {deceased name} to support cancer research and patient care at:Dana-Farber Cancer Institute, P.O. Box 849168G, Boston, MA 02284 or via www.dana-farber.org/gift. For additional information, please visit, www.magliozzifunerlhome.com.