Kathleen Jo McGrath

Kathleen Jo McGrath, (Kathy) will be remembered as the dearly loved wife of Peter and mother of Ruby. Born in Greeley, Colorado, Kathy was the eldest child of Susan Canniff and Wayne McGrath. She leaves behind: a younger sister, Karen; brother, Shane; and step-mother, Paula. In 1992, Kathy graduated from Battle Mountain High School in Vail where she was active in cheerleading and track. Kathy attended North Dakota State University, graduating in 1996 and continued her graduate studies in Speech and Communication. She was voted president of Alpha Gamma Delta fraternity and was Sigma Chi Sweetheart. Initially working in admissions at Concordia University, Kathy went on to work for the Science Museum of Minnesota as events coordinator, then to Target in special events and marketing. Kathy was responsible for the Target athlete program; nurturing talents like Shaun White (Snowboard), Mat Hoffman (BMX) and Nate Adams (Motocross). Through Target, Kathy met her husband, Peter. They moved to Brooklyn, NY, where Kathy took her brave decision to form her own company: Bird Marketing. Through Bird Marketing, Kathy brought about her most beloved Levi's/BMX collaboration. Advocating for her athletes, Kathy fostered some of her closest lifelong friendships and made Levis cool for a few years. Kathy gave up New York and moved to Glasgow (Scotland) in 2007, shuttling between there and the Twin Cities until finally settling in Minneapolis in 2018. In Minneapolis, Kathy blazed a trail in the marketing scene, freelancing and fueling big thinking and ideas. Most recently, she was SVP of Business Partnerships at Lenker - a role and agency that felt like home to her. None of her career accomplishments compare to being a mother. Her daughter, Ruby, born in 2016, was her best piece of work ever. Kathy died on May 13 after a two year struggle with ovarian cancer. She celebrated her 50th birthday only four days before, full of her signature sass, humor and gratefulness. Kathy was a genuine visionary in her field and in life. She lived passionately. Proudly advocating for the people and causes she believed in. Kathy was an ardent supporter of social justice and democracy; volunteering at KIPP Minnesota and being there for Obama's inauguration. Her enjoyment for meticulous planning shone through in all her work and personal life: be it world travel, house renovation, family and friend get togethers and latterly Disney, one of her favorite getaways which fueled her endless imagination and belief in spreading magic wherever she could. In lieu of flowers, a GoFundMe has been created to build an education fund for her 8-year-old daughter Ruby. https://gofund.me/68562ee5

Tributes

Kathleen Jo McGrath

May 9, 1974 - May 13, 2024

Tributes

Kathleen Jo McGrath

May 9, 1974 - May 13, 2024

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