Casper 

FYS 10102
Ryan Retartha
4 March 2022

Obituary: Katherine “Kate” Casper

Born in Washington, D.C., on June 10, 2003,  was raised in a suburb of our nation’s capital, Alexandria, VA. She was raised by parents Joan and Flip Casper and was an only child. Growing up, she was a spunky, fashion-forward, creative girl—parents would comment at school on her vibrant coordinated outfits and peers adored her fun-loving personality and dedication. In elementary school, she would spend hours crafting beautiful tri-fold boards for class projects, rehearsing presentations, and constructing houses and buildings for her Barbie dolls. She had a natural knack for creating, loved pouring her heart out in her diary, and cared for people above all. Throughout her life, she identified as an underdog; she wore her heart on her sleeve and never quite fit in, but was always up for a challenge, an adventure, or a chance to get to know someone deeply. Attending large public schools, including T.C. Williams High School, one of the largest, most diverse schools in the state, Kate was surrounded by people different from her her entire life, but she found her sense of belonging in unlikely places: in coffee shops, the school newspaper, the Alexandria Visitor Center where she worked, and in sport. While she only played tennis occasionally past high school, Kate’s love for watching and participating in sports and exercise continued throughout her life. Her freshman year of high school, her father recalled a scene of her practicing tennis in the snow “in sweatpants and a sweatshirt, blasting some indie music from the portable speaker while fine-tuning an undeniably dinky serve, as the snow continued to fall hard and fast from the sky,” (Interview Reflection - Moreau FYE Week 5). In February of her freshman year of high school, Kate tried out for the varsity tennis team, and would go on to serving her peers on and off the courts as captain of the team her junior and senior years. Balancing tennis, being the editor and lead contributor of her school newspaper, and working multiple jobs (Visitor Center information specialist, English tutor, and volunteer at a fair trade nonprofit shop), Kate was always busy and full of unique stories and experiences. It’s no wonder Kate led such a long and happy life. 
After high school, Kate experienced a crucial period of growth, leaving Virginia in the midst of a global pandemic and taking on the rigor, anxiety, and excitement Notre Dame, Indiana would bring. Kate attended the University of Notre Dame through the Gateway program where students are hand-picked to partake in a bridge program from Holy Cross College to Notre Dame. Dual-enrolled her freshman year at both schools within the tri-campus community in Notre Dame, Indiana, Kate took great pride in both her identities as a Notre Dame and Holy Cross student, and, above all, as a Gateway. She worked to recruit Gateway students her freshman year as a tour guide and even published articles in the tri-campus newspaper, The Observer, about her Gateway experience. She would go on in college to be a tour guide for Notre Dame, work for multiple clubs like McWell, the Juggler, etc., worked extensively in the Creative Writing department at Notre Dame alongside her beloved former-professor Johannes Gorranson, and even became editor of the Scene section of The Observer her junior year. She spent a month in the summer in South Bend working as a tour guide between her freshman and sophomore years and spent the next Summer in Rome for study abroad. She took the time throughout college to know herself, her “values, interests, personality, and skills,” (“Navigating Your Career Journey” - Moreau FYE Week 4). She was never bored and always willing to jump at new life experiences, however terrifying they may be. 
Friends knew her best as funny and reflective, but this sometimes led to burnout. She “felt less in control of [her] life,” (“The right way to be introspective (yes, there’s a wrong way)” - Moreau FYE Week 6), so, after she graduated from Notre Dame in 2025, she spent a year traveling abroad in Europe, picking up odd jobs and working remotely for a small indie start-up. She figured, “the more time I spend away from my work, the better that work will be,” (“Why we need to slow down our lives” - Moreau FYE Week 1), and she was right. She returned from her year abroad and got a job in Chicago working for another start-up on creative strategy and communication. She would work for several start-ups throughout her professional career and stayed in the midwest until the age of 26, when she packed up and moved to New York City, where she worked for one of the leading sustainable fashion brands in the world. She worked on campaigns and increased the brand’s transparency with consumers. Kate was a lifelong believer in the informed consumer, and, although she worked for many brands, she was committed to sustainability and honing in on the epidemic of materialism in America. Throughout this time, she stayed in touch with her friends and family and made trips back to her hometown and her Nana’s house in New Jersey whenever she could. But Kate was always determined to be present, especially in a city like New York. She knew, “we are called to be as intelligent, as responsible, as free, as courageous, and as imaginative, as loving as we can possibly be…” (“Meet the nun who wants you to remember that you will die” - Moreau FYE Week 3), and she knew the big apple was no longer the place she could achieve her full potential. In her early 30’s, Kate returned to the D.C. metro area where she reconnected with an old friend from college who would become her husband. The two would move to Milwaukee, Wisconsin where they would raise three children, one of whom would go on to carry the torch at Notre Dame. 
Kate and her husband raised their children in public schools in Milwaukee, and raised the next generation of Fightin’ Irish fans. They lived humbly in a nice single-family home near Lake Michigan and taught their children gratitude, patience, and love in everything they did. She and her husband often hosted neighborhood gatherings and parties for their kids; their home was known as the hub where people would congregate on Friday nights and neighborhoods would go if they needed an egg and couldn’t run to the store. Kate often reminded herself that she and her family “could have very well ended up among today’s ‘discarded’ people,” (“Why the only future worth building includes everyone” - Moreau FYE Week 7), so she taught her children through experience the value of never taking life for granted. The family would volunteer almost every weekend and make sandwiches for their church’s monthly sandwich drives for the homeless. When all of her children were in high school, she and her husband took them to their first Notre Dame game. She played the Hesburgh documentary for them on the way down from Wisconsin to Indiana. She wanted to instill in her children that they must take care of the people they love in the way Father Ted did: “The family didn’t have the resources for her to stay at Notre Dame. Father Ted took care of that,” (“Hesburgh” - Moreau FYE Week 2). 
When she retired at the age of 60, Kate moved back to Alexandria, Virginia with her husband and worked as a high school teacher at T.C. Williams, now Alexandria City High School. She was an English teacher and Journalism teacher and continued the legacy of her beloved high school newspaper. She spent the rest of her days in an estate in Manassas where she fostered many animals and owned chickens.  died at the age of 95, leaving behind three beautiful children and an everlasting legacy.