WHEREAS, Kathleen Lyons Hester of Fries, a loving wife, mother, and grandmother, whose professional career included shipbuilding, teaching, and nursing, died on January 9, 2012; and

WHEREAS, during World War II, Kathleen Hester was one of thousands of women who went to work in support of the war effort; she was a shipyard worker, painting and refurbishing ships for Bethlehem Steel in Baltimore, Maryland; and

WHEREAS, in the years following the war, Kathleen Hester taught Sunday school and was a private kindergarten teacher for eight years; later she became a nurse, deriving great satisfaction from helping others; and

WHEREAS, during her nursing career, Kathleen Hester worked at Twin County Regional Healthcare in Galax; she found fulfillment in providing attentive and sympathetic medical care to hospital patients; and

WHEREAS, Kathleen Hester was predeceased in death by her husband, Carl; and those remaining to cherish her memory include her daughter, Jane, her sons, Rocky and Joe, and their families; and many other devoted family members, friends, and colleagues; now, therefore, be it

RESOLVED by the House of Delegates, the Senate concurring, That the General Assembly hereby note with great sadness the loss of a devoted wife, mother, teacher, and nurse, Kathleen Lyons Hester; and, be it

RESOLVED FURTHER, That the Clerk of the House of Delegates prepare a copy of this resolution for presentation to the family of Kathleen Lyons Hester as an expression of the General Assembly's respect for her memory.