Life story

" Kathryn Bastion Strong, (née Kathryn Melissa Bastion) loving mother, wife, and friend, died in a car accident while on a grand adventure in Scotland with her mother, Mary Lou Mauch and brother, Jared Bastion. Mary Lou and Jared died at the accident on August 10 and Katie died from her injuries on August 13, 2022 at the age of 46. Katie gave the gift of improving the lives of four people through organ donation. Katie was also preceded in death by her father Fred Bastion, her older brother Brian Bastion, and her step father David Mauch Jr.

Katie was born on October 19, 1975 in Bloomington-Normal, IL to Mary Lou Mauch (née Ellis) and Fred Bastion. She graduated from University High School and attended Colorado State University where she first discovered her lifelong love of nature, studying Forestry in hopes of becoming a park ranger. She adapted this plan when she had to return home to care for her ailing father. She completed her BA at the University of Illinois at Urbana Champaign, where she met her future husband, Chris Strong. After living abroad in Barcelona, she moved to Chicago to continue school and work at the University of Illinois at Chicago, teaching Spanish for nine years. She changed careers and worked for over seven years at the American College of Surgeons (ACS), quickly attaining the title of Senior Manager of Trauma Education Programs. During her time at ACS, she earned a Masters Degree in Learning Design & Technology from Purdue in support of her career and learning and continuously sought higher education experiences.

Katie is survived by her three wonderful daughters, Bela Kathryn Strong (17), Mae Abigail Strong (15), and Gillian Fern Strong (10). As a mother, she allowed her daughters space to discover their own paths. She valued independence and instilled in her girls an authorship of their own lives that has led them to become unique, talented, funny individuals. Katie is also survived by her loving husband of 16 years, Chris Strong, with whom she grew a singular and rich partnership of balance. They met in 1999, and soon after, traveled together in Spain, confirming an incredible connection and love. Katie and Chris built such a caring and welcoming home that their extended families of siblings and grandmothers intermingled entirely into a larger tight-knit mega family.

Katie was a fiery, principled, funny person, who embraced and laughed at the imperfections of life. She did not shy away from conflict and had strong beliefs, but she was consummately fair-minded, always considering multiple perspectives. She was all the more real and vibrant for her rough edges, which she embraced as she lived life to its absolute fullest.

A multi-faceted beautiful array of contradictions that somehow found harmony, Katie was sharp, but tender; lightning fast, but in love with the slow arts of life; she was hilarious and outrageous, but also a quiet introvert. A loving, compassionate and principled caregiver, Katie shone her most tender side on children, people with disabilities, the elderly, the suffering, and the ill. She had a unique capacity to take people as they were and ensure their dignity.

Most of all, Katie seemed never to run out of energy and thirst for learning and adventure. She recreated herself and evolved frequently, a master of multiple metamorphoses. As part of a non-exhaustive list, she was a:
Spanish speaker
Backpacker
Camper
Traveler
Navigator
Marathon Runner
Kayaker
Triathlete
Yogi
Writer
Blogger
Gardener
Knitter
Sewist
Cook
Mother
Wife
Singer
Musician
Professor
Trauma expert
Birth assistant
Assistant/nurse for a disabled friend
End of life support for her step-father
Supportive colleague
Giving neighbor

Katie changed all whose lives she touched by living with so much heart. She stirs us to action, improvement, growth, and the tiny tender moments of home that she built for us all.
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