Obituary of Kathi Loughlin

Kathleen Ann Loughlin
(Hurricane Kathi)
10/3/1953-12/18/2022
Kathi was born in Watertown, Wisconsin to Leo and Emma Loughlin. She grew up in DeKalb,
Illinois with her older brothers Pat and Jim (who named her Hurricane Kathi as a tot as she
stomped like a hurricane through their model train set up) and her younger sister Maureen (who
survived her teasing to become her best friend now).
After graduating from DeKalb High School she matriculated to the University of Illinois
Champaign-Urbana earning a BS with honors in biology and continued there to earn her MD
degree. Post-graduate training included ObGyn and Internal Medicine. In a lapse of good
judgement she married Randy Rea (me) while working for Chicago Employee Health (yes, she
did get offered bribes). Sadly I took her from Leo and Emma to Southern California where she
worked in employee health at UCLA. We moved to Santa Cruz where she became a physician
at Emeline county clinic while she also earned a Masters of Public Health, was certified by the
American Board of Preventative Medicine, and a member of the American College of
Occupational Medicine. She was also instrumental in establishing a bargaining unit for Clinic physicians to bargain with the County.
To me she was a red head who never dispelled the red head stereotype. Steadfast against
perceived wrongs, never compromising or backing down. Compassionate without bias; she
cared for patients regardless of standing. She would commit her whole being to help a friend in
need. Family, even more so. Leo and Emma never faced a nursing home. She cared for them
with love to die surrounded by family at home. Kathi did this with constant back pain which
might slow her but never stopped her.
She loved reading and cats; especially reading in bed surrounded by cats. She loved good
food as witnessed by my girth. She loved music of the old school. She loved history sharing
our passion for medicine history, and the history of well…many things. She loved New Orleans
with the music, food, and incredible history. She loved Hawaii and the local medical shamans
with their local medicinals and non-insurance care. She loved…She loved life and was a force of nature now gone from our lives leaving a giant empty space in my world. 

A kind act of charity may be made in Kathi's memory to Adoptapet/Project Purr, Dominican Hospital Foundation, or any charity you wish to honor her life by.