Katherine Marie Flynn, 52, passed away surrounded by her family on August 17th, 2022 at her home in Richland, Washington, following a yearlong battle with gastric cancer.
She was born March 15th, 1970, to George and Sandy Schneider in Ogden, Utah. She was raised in Whitstran, Washington, where she graduated from Prosser High School in 1988. After attending Spokane Falls Community College and earning a degree nursing, Kathy accepted her first position in the oncology department of Sacred Heart Medical Center in Spokane as a Registered Nurse. Kathy would later work as the Director of Nursing at Central Basin Home Health and Hospice, in Moses Lake, before transitioning as a critical care nurse at Kadlec Regional Medical Center in Richland. However, in 1994 Kathy found her true calling at Tri-Cities Home Health, where she spent 28 years serving the needs of hundreds of patients across southeastern Washington. Kathy was promoted many times during her career and in 2019 won the National Clinical Manager of the Year award for all of Amedisys, the parent corporation of Tri-Cities Home Health. Kathy was last promoted to the role of Executive Director of Operations, overseeing all functions within the organization. Kathy married Don Flynn in Richland on October 19, 2013.
Kathy had a deep passion for gardening and cultivating house plants, a collection with well over 200 individual species of various types and sizes. She started her own social media blog sharing photographs, experiences, and insights for nurturing house plants, which quickly grew to over 2000 followers. She was a dedicated runner, annually participating in the Spokane Bloomsday event, local 5K charity runs, and several half-marathons. Kathy enjoyed visiting adventurous locations, whether it be waterfalls in Hawaii, the Alaskan wilderness, snorkeling in the Caribbean, or climbing mountains in Guatemala. However, her favorite vacations were annual trips with family and friends to the Oregon coast. She was a member of Bethel Church in Richland.
Kathy is survived by her husband, Don Flynn; father, George Schneider; mother, Sandy Schneider; brother, Errett Schneider (Gwen); children, Kyle Jones (Kendall) and Whitney Jones, stepsons, Hudson Flynn and Payton Flynn; and niece Emma Schneider.
A special thank you to Susie Karle for her many years as a long-time sister to Kathy and dear friend to the entire family.
A Celebration of Life will be scheduled at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests that donations may be made to the Gastric Cancer Foundation or to the charity of your choice. You may leave a message for the family at www.Prosserfuneralhome.com