It is with profound grief that we share the news that our beloved sister and daughter Kathy (Katherine) Nemis died on Saturday, October 8th, near Kendall, Washington.
She was hiking Lake Ann Trail on her beloved Mt Baker and laughing with her best friend when a tree cracked and fell and killed her instantly.
Kathy loved the outdoors. She hiked all summer and back-country skied all winter. The mountains were her heaven.
She skied many places in the world and did extreme crevasse and avalanche training. She was a ski patrol and instructor at Grouse and constant at Cypress and Seymour.
A pleasant day for her was to skin up a slope, ski down, then do it all again.
She worked as a park ranger at Stanley Park and instructor at BCIT (Chemistry/lab).
In the summer she was always in the mountains, hiking and camping. An avid photographer, she took visually stunning scenic photos of each place she visited.
She journeyed to Ellesmere Island and camped for days seeing polar bears and other wildlife. She climbed many of the highest peaks in North America, Summiting Bear Creek Spire, Challenger Peak and Wheeler Peak. She would get so excited planning a new adventure. She did all the trails – West Coast trail several times, John Muir trail, Pacific Crest Trail, Buce Trail and so many others. She would pack up her car and just drive somewhere, camp and hike for days on her own. She was a leader at the Vancouver Outdoor Club for Women and was out almost daily in the local mountains.
For many years she and her dearest friend Sheila owned a small place at the foot of Mount Baker, and she was there every weekend hiking and skiing and living exactly the life she wanted to live.
There is some small blessing in knowing she was in her element, loving the forest and had her great friend with her when she died. There is comfort in knowing she didn’t suffer and was not alone.
We cling to the thought that her last one was how beautiful everything was around her.
Kathy was born in North Bay, ON but grew up in Midland and graduated from Midland Secondary School, going on to Guelph University for her Bachelor of Chemistry. At a very young age she showed her love for the outdoors volunteering and working at the Wye Marsh Wildlife Centre and enjoying snowshoeing and learning to ski in the local mountains. She always found much enjoyment in the outdoors keeping active and with the nature she so loved. She could identify almost every bird and plant in Ontario and soon learned again when she made the move to BC in the 80’s.
Kathy leaves behind her sister Jane Nemis, Mother Mary (Brazzoni) Nemis and Father (late) Peter Nemis.
She also leaves her best-friend Sheila Clare who was with her when she died.
Many many friends and colleagues from work, the Vancouver Women’s Outdoor Club and others have reached out and we thank you for your kind words and stories.
Kathy was brought back to Vancouver this week and cremated (private) and a memorial will be held at a later date.
Please feel free to reach out with any stories and experiences you have had with her. They would be so comforting.
To the park guides and fire department in Kendall Washington and to Deputy Ben – thank you for the care and respect you gave my sister.
Please know she was doing what she loved.
Our most sincere sympathies to the family and friends of Kathy Nemis October 8th 2022..
Death notice for the town of: Aldergrove, Province: Colombie britanique