Kathryn Vacha

Kathryn H. Vacha, age 94, of Austin, Texas, formerly of Washington, Iowa, died Tuesday, August 13, 2013 at her residence in Austin. A graveside funeral service will be held 2:00 p.m. Thursday, August 22, 2013 at the Elm Grove Cemetery in Washington, Iowa with David Burris officiating. A general memorial has been established. Online condolences may be sent for Kathryn’s family through the web at www.jonesfh.com Kathryn was born July 18, 1919 in Washington County, Iowa the daughter of Melo G. and Myrtle M. (Murdock) Vacha. She graduated from Washington High School. Kathryn earned a Bachelors Degree from Iowa State Teachers College in Cedar Falls, Iowa, and later earned her Masters and Doctor of Education Degrees from Columbia University in New York City. She completed graduate studies at Columbia University. Kathryn was employed as a teacher in Washington County, Wapello, and Des Moines, Iowa for eight years. She later taught at Joint Oil Company Schools in Maracaibo, Venezuela for four years. She worked as an education consultant at Row-Peterson Publishing Company in Evanston, Illinois for five years. She served as a professor at the State University of New York in Oswego, New York for four years, and also served as a professor and the assistant director of Graduate Studies at Western Connecticut State University in Danbury, Connecticut for nineteen years. Before her retirement in 1983, Kathryn was employed as the International Editor for the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International in Austin, Texas. Kathryn was a member of the Covenant Presbyterian Church in Austin, Texas. She was a member of many education organizations including the Eastern States Association for Teacher Education, where she also served as president, the Association for Teacher Education, the Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, the National Education Association, the Connecticut Education Association, and the American Association of University Women. She was also involved with the Delta Kappa Gamma Society International, Kappa Delta Pi, and Pi Lambda Theta. She was a member of the Greater Danbury Red Cross Council, the Texas Aging and Disabled Council, the American Association for Retired Persons, and the Retired and Senior Volunteer Advisory Council. She served as a docent for the L.B.J. Library for over twenty years. Kathryn was named a Distinguished Citizen by the Who’s Who in Connecticut in 1975 and later by the Who’s Who of American Women in 1976. She earned special recognition from the Lyndon Baines Johnson Library and Museum and a Commemorative Award from the Texas Department of Human Services. She earned the Meritorious Service Award from the AARP in 1995, and served as president on the R.S.V.P. Advisory Council in 1996. Kathryn is survived by her brother Richard D. Vacha of Springfield and his four sons, Missouri, niece Jan Caldwell and husband Craig, niece Kathy Burris and husband David, niece Suzi Snyder, and nephew Mike Vacha. She was preceded in death by her parents, brother Darwin D. Vacha, and sister-in-law Shirley Vacha.

Kathryn Vacha

July 18, 1919 - August 13, 2013