Family and friends of the late Kathy Cothren gathered Wednesday at the Athens Activity Center to honor her memory by placing a memorial bench at the center that meant so much to her.
Kathy passed away last year during her second battle with cancer. She was a volunteer with the Foundation on Aging, City of Athens Relay for Life, Ardmore Chamber, Athens Mayor’s Youth Commission, Behind the Badge, and her church. She and her husband also made numerous chicken stews to support volunteer fire departments, veteran organizations, and others.
“If Kathy was here, she would say, ‘This ain’t nothing but a thing.’ Each one of us could go around this porch and tell a Kathy story. We all just loved her so much, and what a community treasure this lady was,” Kathy’s friend Jackie Jackson said.
Kathy was remembered for going above and beyond for others and volunteering for tasks that others might not. She and her husband Charles were known for grilling the food for many special events.
“I don’t know how many times y’all grilled out in the hot sun for us. Kathy was right in the middle of all of it and loved every minute of it,” Jackson said. “We all loved her; and we all miss her; and we thought, ‘How appropriate that this bench is going to sit right here?’ I feel like she is sitting here watching everything that’s going on at this center. It just makes my heart smile to see this with her name on it.”
Mayor Ronnie Marks also shared fond memories of Kathy. “We could all tell stories, but the one thing that I loved so much about Kathy is you never didn’t know where she stood,” Marks said.
Kathy’s famous Coca-Cola cake and Elvis Presley cupcakes were served at the reception hosted by Foundation on Aging and Athens Activity Center. Guests were also treated to one of Kathy’s favorites — Kay Burlingame’s delicious fruit tea.