Kathlynne Duffy Espy

Kathlynne “Kathy” Bruce Duffy Espy had an extraordinary life. She was born in Toledo, Ohio on March 29, 1944 to Helen Louise and Franklyn Verlett Duffy. Three years later, the family moved to Raleigh, North Carolina where her brother, Franklyn, Jr. was born and she was so happy to have someone to dote on. The family moved back to Ohio settling first in Columbus where she attended Heyl Elementary and then in Toledo where she attended Monroe Elementary, Robinson Junior High School and Jesup W. Scott High School. Life was good growing up in Toledo, with loving parents, a little brother and good friends. A few years later, she would welcome another brother, Eugene, and a little sister, Rosemary. The Duffy children were raised with a strong sense of community and taught that it is better to give than to receive. She was taught to value education from a young age, since her mother, Helen, was an elementary school teacher. She excelled in school both academically and socially as a cheerleader. She attended The Ohio State University and received a Bachelor’s of Arts degree in Speech Pathology and Audiology. Kathy was popular among her friends and one day during lunch in the Student Union, she met the love of her life, a handsome running back named Ben Espy. The rest as they say, is history. Kathy and Ben were married on September 3, 1967 at St. Mark’s Episcopal Church in Toledo, Ohio. They began their life together in Washington, D.C. shortly after Ben was accepted into the Howard University School of Law. While in D.C., Kathy worked as a Teacher of the Deaf at the Washington Hearing Society, where she facilitated the personal, social, and intellectual development of students who had hearing loss. Upon Ben’s graduation from law school, Kathy and Ben returned to Columbus. Shortly thereafter, Kathy gave birth to their first daughter, Elizabeth. She was instantly smitten with her “perfect little girl”. In the early 70’s, while Ben was serving in the United States Air Force, he was assigned to serve in Syracuse, New York. Shortly after their arrival, Ben and Kathy welcomed their second daughter, Amy, into the world. Given Kathy’s love for the book Little Women, she named her first two daughters after two of the characters, Beth and Amy. After living in New York for a short time, Kathy and Ben moved back to Columbus where she served as the Director/Teacher at Stonybrook Early Learning Center in Gahanna, Ohio. Kathy had a passion for teaching children and made an impact on many young lives. Kathy and Ben both have a love of entrepreneurship and when Amy began to excel in gymnastics, they realized there was not a gym that catered to the East side of Columbus, especially one that was affordable for children of color. They opened Americana Gymnastics Center which was both a good business endeavor and a place Amy could thrive in the sport. Despite the fact that Kathy was extremely busy running a business, she also accepted the role as a Deputy Registrar for the Bureau of Motor Vehicles for the State of Ohio. A position she was very proud of because it was another way to serve the community she loved. Anyone who knew Kathy knew that above all, she valued her family. Therefore, it was not a surprise when Ben and Kathy decided to expand their family by one more. However, God had a special surprise for them and said “I’ll give them two!” Twins, Laura and Lynnette arrived and changed everyone’s world. She loved her four girls immensely and anyone she met knew just how much she adored her children. As she raised her girls, she still found time to serve her community. She served on the UNCF celebration committee, Chair, Ruth Shuman McLean Lecture Series, Chair, JC Penney Golden Rule Award, the Ohio Underground Railway Bi-Centennial Committee, the Mayoral Transition Personnel Committee, Co-Chair of the opening of Nordstrom at Easton, Co-Chair of the City of Columbus 2012 sports Committee and many other numerous volunteer and civic involvements. When you think of Mount Carmel Health System, to include the College of Nursing, you think of Kathy Espy. Indeed, Kathy was a supporter of Mount Carmel, long before she became a valued employee. She was a trustee on the Mount Carmel Foundation Board and the first African-American member of the Mount Carmel College of Nursing Board of Trustees. One day she was invited to a meeting at the College to develop a strategy to support minority students in the journey to become professional nurses. Ultimately, that meeting turned into an amazing 30 year career. During her time at Mount Carmel, Kathy was an extraordinary leader with years of service as a champion of diversity and inclusion. She was a founding member of the Mount Carmel Health System’s Diversity Task Force which recognizes, promotes and celebrates diversity in the workplace, and served as Director of Community Engagement. She also created The Learning Trail, a program which paved the way for increased minority representation in the field of nursing. Her community relations efforts helped push Mount Carmel to become a healing and transforming presence throughout Central Ohio. The YWCA was an organization where she invested her time and talent empowering women. She was a volunteer and served on the Board of Trustees as the Board Chair who helped raise money for the $15 million Griswold Building renovation and the $7 million Family Center campaign. She was a member of the YWCA Columbus Academy of Women of Achievement and one of only three women to receive the YWCA Lifetime Achievement Award for her bold vision of bringing diversity to every table she is invited to and for her lasting impact on Columbus. For many years, she took her children and grandchildren to serve Thanksgiving meals to the families served by the YWCA Family Center. Kathy was not only a loyal friend, she was a mentor to hundreds of people. It was not uncommon for her to be out in the community when a former student would recognize her and share how much she impacted their life and influenced the trajectory of their career. As a mother of four daughters, Kathy was intensely supportive of programs that elevated and encouraged women and girls. She created Mount Carmel’s “A Gathering of Women” receptions to celebrate achievements of women new to the Columbus area. She was often called upon for advice on career development, navigating Columbus society, and general life situations. Kathy would always give freely of her time and make you feel like you were the most important person in the room, and once you met her, you were changed for the better. Kathy served on the boards of Action for Children, Heritage Day Health Centers, and the Isabelle Ridgeway Nursing Home. She was a former President of the Recreation and Parks Commission. She was also one of the first black trustees for Ballet Met where she chaired the Community Relations Committee and brought Les Ballets Africains to Columbus which paved the way for more diverse programs. Leading a busy life, Kathy still found time to foster friendships. Throughout her life, she created a village of lifelong friends who championed her through life’s amazing moments. She was a connector, a divine architect of connecting like minded people. She was a member of Alpha Kappa Alpha Sorority, Inc., The Links, Inc., The Girl Friends Inc., The Sophisticates, Inc., The Carrousels, Inc. The National Smart Set, Inc., the Coalition of 100 Black Women and Columbus Corporate Sisters. Kathy’s tireless efforts to support those in need were recognized by many organizations, including the National Coalition of 100 Black Women, the UNCF, the Columbus Junior League, the AEP Foundation, the Walter and Marion English Foundation, the Ohio Association of College Admission Counselors, Alpha Phi Alpha Fraternity, Inc., St. Paul A.M.E Church, the Columbus Urban League of Greater Columbus, Helping Hands, Columbus Black Nurses, YWCA Volunteer of the Year, Medical Mutual Senior Volunteer of the Year, and Jack and Jill of America, Inc. The Espy family was also honored in the Columbus Black Heritage Bicentennial Celebration Edition in 2012. Kathy gravitated towards politics when her husband, Ben, decided to run for the Columbus City Council in 1982. She was by his side as he served as City Councilman, and also, during his tenure as an Ohio State Senator. Kathy was his trusted confidante and advisor throughout his career. Ben says “I could not have achieved all that I did without her by my side.” Kathy was also a staunch supporter of women in politics. She was a member of the Matriots, a non-partisan political action committee that endorses, supports and encourages women to run and win elected office in Ohio. She served on the host committee for Women for Kamala Harris’ fundraiser of which she was thrilled to help plan. Kathy was a Founding Board Member of the Fire and Focus Foundation whose goal is to support and inspire leaders and organizations to achieve their dreams, research their passions, grow their knowledge and increase compassionate service for others. Fire and Focus has provided hundreds of leadership scholarships to women, young leaders and organizations in the areas of education, healthcare, civic and community advancement and corporate/business engagement. For ten years, Kathy was the Chair of the Fire and Focus Scholarship Award Program hosted during the Congressional Black Caucus Legislative Conference in Washington, D.C. She loved to travel with her family, visiting South Africa, Spain, Canada, The Bahamas, and numerous cities across America. A special proud moment was when she walked the steps of The Cape of Good Hope in Cape Town, South Africa. Kathy had a passion for genealogy and script writing, often saying she should send her ideas to Lifetime TV. She was a lifelong active member of St. Paul A.M.E Church for more than five decades. Kathy had a full social calendar, and was part of countless committees, clubs, and community volunteer organizations, always giving back and getting involved. But her primary passion was her family and friends. She was always on the phone with a sibling, daughter, or friend, giving advice, telling stories, or laughing. She treated everyone she encountered like one of her own, from her nieces and nephews to her daughters’ friends to relatives of her friends and colleagues. “Kack or GaGa” as she was called by her family, was the biggest cheerleader for the people around her, remembering every school play, soccer/basketball game, or cheer/dance competitions. She was not only friendly and kind, but funny – everyone who encountered her was charmed by her sense of humor and the care she showed for her community. Her spirit was joyous and welcoming, and her love was never ending. Everyone shined a little brighter in her light. Kathy recently retired and was enjoying spending more time with her family and friends. She was always happy to talk about how proud she was of her children. Elizabeth, Director of Community Engagement at the Atlanta Police Department and a top producing Realtor in Atlanta; Amy, an Occupational Medicine Physician and Chief Medical Officer for the Washington Metropolitan Area Transit Authority; Laura, an Emergency Medicine Physician/Associate Medical Director and Medical Director of Community Partnerships with Mid-Ohio Emergency Services/OhioHealth; and Lynnette, a Shareholder and Chief Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, Officer at Cozen O’Connor, an international law firm. She leaves to mourn her passing, her husband of 54 years, Ben, daughters, Elizabeth, Amy (David), Laura (Stephen), Lynnette (Ko J), 11 grandchildren, Nina, Lelia, Brooklynne, Kendall, Avery, Brynn, Jackson, Andrew, Ellis, Lydia, and Olivia; Brothers, Franklyn (Rosanna), Eugene (Norrene), sister Rosemary (Robert), nephew, Joshua; nieces, Josie and Rosa; best friend, Ramone Woodard and a host of cousins, extended family and close friends. Kathy unexpectedly transitioned on January 13, 2022. She now soars with the angels and watches over all of those whom she adored. If you would like to make a memorial donation it may be made to a scholarship in her name at the Mt. Carmel College of Nursing. You can contribute online at https://donor.mountcarmelfoundation.org/mccn, select designation MCCN Our Legacy of Learning – Scholarships and in the Notes section write The Kathy Espy Scholarship or mail a check payable to the Mount Carmel Foundation, memo- The Kathy Espy Scholarship to The Mount Carmel Foundation, 6150 E. Broad St., Columbus, OH 43213.