Katherine M. Weeks-Mitchell Obituary (1975

Katherine Michelle Weeks-Mitchell, 48, of St Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada, was taken from us too soon and passed away on March 21, 2023, after a courageous battle with Pancreatic cancer. Katherine was a woman who reveled in living life to the fullest on a daily basis. She woke up every morning with a drive to be the best wife, mother, daughter, sister, and citizen she could be. Katherine was born on February 28, 1975, to Tony and Susan Weeks in St Stephen, New Brunswick, Canada. She spent her early years in Milltown, New Brunswick, until her family bought a small farm on Scotch Ridge, New Brunswick. There she would spend her adolescence helping around the farm, picking apples in the orchard, playing with friends, listening to music, and reading; she loved to read. Hard work and lending a hand to others were in her nature growing up, and this innate characteristic would carry on through her teenage, college, and adult years. After graduating from St Stephen High School 'The Spartans,' class of 1993, with 153 other students, she went to St Thomas University 'The Tommies' in Fredericton, New Brunswick, where she earned a Bachelor of Arts degree with a major in Political Science and Anthropology. After graduating from college, and as a dual U.S. and Canadian citizen, she set her sights on Virginia Beach at the suggestion of her brother Mike who was in the U.S. Navy. In her professional life, she built an impressive resume as a successful business developer for twenty-plus years for companies such as Aarow Staffing, Waste Management, Rolyn, and Bright View; she accumulated a list of awards and honors, including the 2010 Circle of Excellence from Waste Management, 2021 Sales Growth Leader for Bright View, 2021 Outstanding Sales Mid-Atlantic Region for Bright View (Sales of $2.7M), 2022 President's Club for Bright View. These awards reflect her business acumen, but most importantly, how she treated people. She treated everyone with mutual respect and dignity and was able to balance the needs of the business with the needs of the customers. She was always the go-to for challenging assignments or time-sensitive situations; she could be depended on to get the job done. She put people at ease and provided levity in tense situations, but she could also command the room when needed; she was the kind of person everyone wanted on their team. She also held Professional Membership in associations such as; Commercial Real Estate Women (CREW), Association of General Contractors-Member (AGC), Associations of Building Contractor (ABC), and Hampton Roads Association for Commercial Real Estate (HR ACRE). As a career-oriented mother of two, daughter Izzy and son Carter, and military spouse of a career Navy SEAL, she found time to volunteer as a Command Ombudsmen at the SEAL command her husband served at. Her selfless service as an Ombudsmen spanned over a decade, including service as an Ombudsmen for Tactical Development and Evaluation Squadron TWO from 2010-2018 and as an Ombudsmen for Naval Special Development Group from 2019-2022. She had a direct line to the Commanding Officer and was the conduit between the families and the Commanding Officer; her candor was always appreciated in challenging situations. Through trying times for our Nation she was steadfast in her resolve to ensure the families got what they required and were informed, which was a challenge in the fast-paced deployment lifestyle of the SEAL Community; once again, she was the kind of person everyone wanted on their team. As a master task organizer, she dedicated time to her children's travel hockey seasons. With the demands of her career, Ombudsmen's duties, and countless deployment cycles for her husband, she still made time to travel the country to provide her kids the opportunity to pursue their passion, hockey. Driving for just a weekend in a snowstorm to Cincinnati, Ohio, so that her daughter could play in a tournament was just one example of her commitment. One of her passions was running, where she completed four half marathons before she made the jump into ultra-marathons, where she completed three 50K's (31 miles), two Bel Monte 50K's, and the Windsor 10-Hour 50K. She was working up for a 50 miler called My First Fifty in Williamsburg, VA when she was diagnosed. Her husband and others will complete this goal for her. To her family, she was a force that drew people together, and the light that she cast upon everyone made them feel welcome and included. She always took time to make sure everyone that needed help received it, even if that help came before her own needs; she was always so selfless in her actions. These characteristics are what drew Nathaniel to Kathy and held them together for 20 years with an ageless love for each other. She was the family's center of gravity and their larger-than-life foundation. Strength and love were her mantras concerning her kids, which she considered her most precious legacy; she loved them with a love only a mother could give, unconditional. She also provided a solid base through her actions and words, ensuring they had a firm grasp of duty, responsibility, accountability, perseverance, and, most importantly, a sense of love and compassion. Kathy had the biggest heart and the most beautiful smile. She could be a private person at times or the life of the party with her fun and witty personality! She was absolutely fearless and undeniably independent, sensitive, and incredibly compassionate. She enjoyed the beach, a good book, a glass of wine, art, cooking (total foodie), Crime Junky Podcasts, Stephen King, hockey (Philadelphia Flyers fan), music (big hair bands for a big hair girl), playing the stock market, traveling, camping, running, walking her dog Odin, and entertaining family and friends. She was strong-willed and could be considered stubborn at times, but those traits defined Kathy and undoubtedly helped her deal with life's challenges. Kathy was a fierce fighter to the end, but she is now free from pain on a peaceful journey to distant shores where she will be waiting for her loved ones. She will be heartbreakingly missed by her husband Nathaniel, daughter Izarra and son Carter; her parents Tony and Susan Weeks; her brother Michael and sister-in-law Sophie Weeks; and two nephews, Banyan and Wally; as well as everyone in the Weeks, Gibson, and Mitchell families. She will always be remembered for her unrelenting focus and complete dedication to everything she endeavored in, including her marriage, raising children, her career, hockey, and running. Katherine left an indelible mark on the lives of everyone she encountered, and her legacy will live on through her children, the memories, and the stories shared by those she loved so well. There will be a Celebration of Life at JEB Little Creek Chapel on the 18th of April at 1200, followed by a reception at the SEAL Heritage Center. She will be buried at Arlington National Cemetery at a date to be determined. For base access to attend the Celebration of Life and reception, please contact Dana Truxell. JEB Little Creek Chapel, 1160 D St., Virginia Beach, VA 23455 "In the end, it's not the years in your life that count. It's the life in your years."