Kathryn McAlindon died suddenly on May 23 in Oakville having just returned from a two-week trip to Ireland and Scotland with her family. A funeral service was held for her on May 29 in Oakville. McAlindon, the beloved daughter of Hugh and Cynthia McAlindon and sister of Erin McAlindon, is described by her father as a very loving, outgoing and warmhearted person who was a lot of fun to be around.
He said she loved all kinds of music, everything from the big band era to modern music to classical. She was also very into sports and had recently taken up racquetball and weight training.
“Katie was an avid reader and had recently taken up knitting,” her father said. “Playing the violin, French horn and piano were her musical attributes.” After graduating from Oakville Trafalgar High School, McAlindon attended Queen’s where she received her Bsc (Hon), majoring in biology and minoring in math.
She spent a month studying at the University of Wisconsin in 2009. At the time of her death, she had been pursuing her M. Eng in chemical engineering at Queen’s. In recognition of her hard work, she was awarded an honorary degree.
“We are very honoured that Queen’s has awarded Ms. Kathryn McAlindon her Masters of Science Degree posthumously for the Fall 2010 convocation,” her father said, adding that he believes Kate would have wanted others to work hard and enjoy life.
Her parents have arranged a fund for donations to be made to the Huntington’s Society of Canada.
“Although Kate was not aware of it at the time, she did know someone affected with Huntington’s Disease and there was a mutual respect for this person,” McAlindon’s father said. “We believe Huntington’s is an under recognized and under funded charity, and Kate would want to make changes which would bring a spotlight onto this disease to encourage donations which will bring us closer to a cure.” The Society is arranging to put a star on their Shining Star recognition page. To date, contributions received total $4,400, all of which will go towards the Huntington’s Society of Canada.
For those who wish, memorial contributions can be made to the Huntington’s Society of Canada. Email condolences may be made to the McAlindon family through www.koprivataylor.com.
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