Kathleen Painter

Kathleen "Katrina" Sharer Painter, 103, died Sunday, April 17, 2005, at Columbine Care Center East, in Fort Collins. Born August 22, 1901, in Shelbyville, Tenn., to Richard Putnam Sharer and Mary Elizabeth Campbell Sharer, she was schooled in Lewisburg, Tenn., and later received a bachelor of arts degree in English from the University of Tennessee in Knoxville. Following graduation, Katrina taught in Bessemer, Ala., and in Sale Creek, Tenn., during the time of the famous Scopes Trial, which occurred in a nearby town. Always interested in American history, Katrina enjoyed sharing stories about this event with her family and friends. On July 28, 1927, she was united in marriage with James Watson Painter of Bristol, Tenn. The newlyweds moved to Greensboro, N.C., where Mr. Painter was a professor of English at the Woman's College of the University of North Carolina now UNC-G. Eventually, Katrina also joined the faculty where her lifelong fascination with the English language could be shared with her students. In later years, her grandchildren were also the recipients of her teaching talents, having corrected more than one error in school papers "because Grandmama said to." Soon after their retirement from UNC-G, Katrina and her husband moved to Fort Collins to be near their only child, Richard J. Painter. Katrina found many good friends in Fort Collins and became a member of the First Presbyterian Church where she wrote for and edited the church newsletter and also assisted in writing and editing the church history. She was a member of Phi Kappa Phi scholastic honorary, Sigma Kappa sorority, The Daughters of the American Revolution, and the Fort Collins Women's Club. Katrina was preceded in death by her husband and is survived by her son, Richard and daughter-in-law, Janice, of Fort Collins; her grandson, Marc and wife, Jennifer, and their children, Nathaniel and Kailey Anne; and her grandson, Thomas and wife, Tania, all of Boulder. Strong in her love for her country, her family, and her friends, Katrina will be greatly missed for her warm wit, her intense interest in the world around her, and her delight in the spoken and written word. A private service will be held by the family. Memorial gifts may be sent to Friends of the Library, University of North Carolina at Greensboro, through Bohlender Funeral Chapel, 121 W. Olive St., Fort. Collins, CO 80524.