October 4, 1921 – October 6, 2021

Kathleen Frances “Kay” Karcher passed away peacefully at the age of 100 in South Lake Tahoe on October 6, 2021.
Kay was born on October 4, 1921 to Irish immigrants, John and Mary Trainor in San Francisco, CA. She was a graduate of Notre Dame High School in San Francisco where she excelled at tennis. After working for Bank of America and the Chamber of Commerce in San Francisco, she made her way to Edmonton, Canada during WW II to work for the Corp of Engineers. In 1946, she landed her dream job as a stewardess for American Airlines; a profession that she thoroughly enjoyed and fondly reminisced about for the rest of her life. During her 10-years with the airline, she resided in San Francisco, Los Angeles, and Tulsa, OK. She flew hundreds of thousands of miles throughout the entire country serving the likes of Marilyn Monroe, Ronald Reagan, Jack Dempsey, Richard Nixon, Gene Kelly, Groucho Marx, John Wayne and many other luminaries.
During her time with American Airlines, she met the love of her life and future husband, Theo “Ted” Karcher. They were married in 1955 and their blissful 25-year marriage produced two children, Colleen and Kelly. Throughout their marriage, Kay made many friends in Pasadena, Los Angeles, Palos Verdes Estates, Atherton, and in South Lake Tahoe where she lived for the past 46 years.
Kay was a devout Catholic who was extremely proud of her San Francisco and Irish roots. Always gregarious and energetic, she had an enormous personality and a hilarious Irish wit about her. She enjoyed visiting with her family, going to church, reading, and “puttering” around Lake Tahoe. At the end of the day though, her family was most important to her. She was an excellent wife, mother and grandmother who had a very loving, caring and generous soul. She touched many lives and will be missed deeply by all of her family and friends.
Her children, Colleen and Kelly, her grandchildren, Kelsey and Molly Adams, Andrew and Carmela Karcher, “platonic” friend, John Galea, and many nieces and nephews, survive Kay. She was preceded in death by her husband, Theo “Ted” Karcher, parents, John and Mary Trainor, brothers, John and Edmond Trainor, and sisters, Marion Trainor Scharetg and Barbara Trainor McKenna.
Private services will be held at Holy Cross Catholic Cemetery in Colma, CA.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to St. Jude Children’s Hospital in Kay’s memory.
May she rest in eternal peace in Heaven…