Kathryn 'Kathy' Marie Marr

Kathryn “Kathy” Marie Marr (née White), age 74, passed peacefully on October 3, 2024 surrounded by family following a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. Born on July 9, 1950, in Kansas City, Missouri to Joseph Mack and Mary Margaret White (née Bremhorst), Kathy was the eldest of seven children. The oil business took her dad first to Kansas and then to New Orleans where at the age of five, Kathy started falling in love with the Crescent City and all its culture and excitement! She introduced Beatlemania into the White household playing albums for hours on the den record-player and dancing all the latest moves with her willing little sisters. So expert at keeping the beat, her Uncle Paul gave her his snare drum, which she then practiced for hours to the dismay of her room-mate sister! Making life-long friends at her beloved high school, St Joseph Academy, she attended reunions whenever possible. Kathy chose the School of Nursing at the University of Southwestern Louisiana to earn her nursing degree and RN in 1972. Prior to graduating, she was commissioned into the US Navy where she quickly rose through the ranks at Bethesda Naval Hospital ending her military service as a Lieutenant in 1976. Kathy had a very long and successful career in nursing and nursing administration, throwing her heart into every position that she held. She liked to take charge and was never one to give up control. She also furthered her education at the University of South Alabama and gained her Master of Science in Nursing. Her career spanned various locations: New Orleans area, Colorado, Iowa, California and back to the New Orleans area where she retired and made life-long friendships. Raising her three children in the New Orleans area, their home was always filled with music as she loved to dance while cleaning, bringing joy and rhythm to everyday moments. A Saints fan from the inauguration of the team, Kathy cheered them on wherever she went to the very end!! Many of her children’s cherished childhood memories are of her Sunday ritual: turning on the Saints, ironing uniforms to military precision all while the squealing and the stomping carried throughout the house. Her hobbies and their family vacations always included camping, canoeing, hiking, and playing cards. Her sense of humor could be mischievous, bestowing her sharp tongue on each of her three children. Her personal philosophy was ‘Life’s most powerful combination: a passionate heart driven by a positive attitude.’ She is survived by her three children: Geoffrey (Mallory) Rodrigue, Lauren (Will) Whitehead, and Kevin (Jennifer) Rodrigue; her eight grandchildren: Brittney Evans, Gauge, and Reagan Rodrigue; Louise and Cecilia Whitehead; Alex Rossi and Evelyn and Ashton Rodrigue; her six siblings: Jim (Carla) White, Marilyn (Jerry) Davis, Mary Jo (Ivan) Surcouf, Margie (Johnny) Lopez II, Chuck (Debbie) White, and Bill (Denise) White; the father of her children: Mark Rodrigue, her many nieces and nephews, cousins, loved ones, and friends. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents, her father and mother-in-law, Albert “Pop” and Eola “Mom” Rodrigue, her sister-in-law, Irma Rodrigue, and her husband Edward Marr. In lieu of flowers, the family asks that you make a donation in Kathy’s honor to either Lustgarten Foundation for Pancreatic Cancer Research https://lustgarten.org or Circle of Life Hospice: https://nwacircleoflife.com

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Kathryn 'Kathy' Marie Marr

July 9, 1950 - October 3, 2024