Dr. Katherine Ann Kellersberger, Ph.D Obituary (1969 - 2016)

Our beloved daughter, sister, aunt and friend, Katherine Ann Kellersberger, left us for a better place on August 11, 2016 after a courageous battle with multiple myeloma, a cancer of the plasma cells. Katherine was born on May 8, 1969 in Provo, Utah to Kent and Beverly Kellersberger. The second of six children and the oldest daughter, Kathy grew up in West Valley, Utah, where she loved education, especially science. She loved to sew, crochet and play the piano. She was a gourmet cook and an avid knitter. She displayed an exceptional ability for handwork at a very young age. She has blessed many lives with her talents. Her hands were never idle. She created many beautiful keepsakes for her nieces and nephews with her talents in knitting, crocheting and sewing. Katherine graduated from Granger High School in 1987 where she was named the General Sterling Scholar. She earned a Presidential scholarship to Brigham Young University in Provo, UT, graduating in 1991 with a Bachelor of Science degree in Biochemistry and a second degree in Spanish. After college graduation, she went to work for DataChem Laboratories in Salt Lake City where she worked until 1996. At that time she returned to graduate school where she earned a Master of Science and a Ph.D. in Analytical Chemistry. Her thesis was titled: "Gas Phase Studies of Decamethylcucurbit[5]urill and Cyclodextrin Inclusion Complexes". Upon graduating in 2002, Kathy went to the University of Maryland, Baltimore County, to do Post-Doctorate research until 2005. She joined the Bruker Corporation's Fremont team as an Application Scientist for Liquid Chromatography Mass Spectrometry in 2006, then was quickly moved to Billerica, Massachusetts to become Senior Application Scientist for Fourier Transform Mass Spectrometry, where her passion lied. She was then promoted to LCMS Group Manager for the Bruker Corporation's Billerica lab before becoming Senior Product Specialist, the position she held until her passing. Her efforts helped develop and define the utility and markets for small molecule imaging on FTMS. Katherine's contributions were invaluable in the design of competitive solutions for the scientific community. She did this while gaining the respect of her peers, customers and collaborators in the field of Imaging Mass Spectrometry. Kathy's colleagues describe her as an engaging speaker and an outstanding scientist who did much for the scientific community. She traveled all over the world giving presentations, lectures, and training to other scientists. She loved traveling and collected many precious artifacts for her home. She has co-authored fourteen publications in the scientific world as a result of her research. Katherine was a member of the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints. She served three times as a relief society president. She served in music and in teaching gospel classes and in presidencies in the relief society, primary and young women's organizations. She was a faithful daughter of God. Kathy was diagnosed with multiple myeloma on December 31, 2014. She had numerous chemo treatments and a stem cell transplant in an effort to control the disease. She patiently submitted to her treatments, always keeping a positive attitude. Dr. Munshi, her physician at Dana Farber Cancer Center in Boston said she had the most aggressive form of this cancer he had ever seen. Kathy passed away at her home in Lowell, MA, ending her courageous fight with cancer with her devoted mother by her side. The family wishes to thank Dr. Munshi for his efforts on her behalf as well as the caring staff at Brigham and Women's Hospital in Boston. Katherine is survived by her parents, Kent and Beverly Kellersberger, a brother, Robert Kellersberger (Diana), and sisters, Janine Flinders (Chet), Kristine Robinson (Chris), Laura Washburn (Blaine), and Stacie Bailey (Michael), and by her beloved dog, Tess. She leaves behind sixteen nieces and nephews whom she adored, and many friends and colleagues who valued her friendship and work ethic. A memorial service was held at 6 p.m. on Monday, August 15, 2016 at the Church of Jesus Christ of Latter-day Saints, 421 Princeton Blvd, Lowell, Massachusetts. Funeral services will be held on Friday, August 19, 2016 at 11:00 a.m. at the River Ridge Stake Center, 10168 South 1100 West in South Jordan, Utah, with a gathering from 9:00-10:30 a.m. prior to services. Interment will follow at the Larkin Sunset Gardens, 1950 East 10600 South. The family would like to honor Kathy's life as a dedicated scientist in donating to the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute for Dr. Nikhil C. Munshi's Myeloma Research Fund. Funeral Home: Jenkins-Soffe South Valley 1007 W. South Jordan Parkway South Jordan, UT