Kimberly Carty Obituary

Kimberly Carty

Kimberly Carty, 69, of Findlay, passed away Christmas morning, Dec. 25, 2024, at The James Cancer Hospital in Columbus. She fought a lengthy and courageous battle with acute myeloid leukemia. In 2018, her brother, Kevin, was her donor for her first bone marrow transplant for AML, and she was in remission for five years. Unfortunately, her cancer returned in February.

Kim was born Feb. 8, 1955, in Sullivan, Indiana, and twin sister Kathy showed up as a surprise six minutes later. It was their dad's birthday and Gene and Sharon Carty had not been expecting twins.

She is survived by sister, Clair (Sherry Pethers) of Laona, Wisconsin; and brother, Kevin (Lisa Canter); and niece, Hunter of Columbus.

Preceding her in death were her sister, Kathy; and her parents.

Kim saved and worked to put herself through college. She attended Owens Technical College and The University of Findlay, graduating with a four-year degree in accounting. The bottom fell out of the job market when she graduated, so she studied while job hunting, and passed the CPA exam on her first try. She worked as an auditor for the state of Ohio.

Kim eventually bought a house in her beloved south side of Findlay where she grew up.

There she discovered a love of gardening and was surrounded by wonderful neighbors. She was a voracious reader. Kim would come home from the library with a tall stack of books, and in no time was returning them for a new stack.

Kim was an animal lover and her life was filled with many. Starting with her small shepherd Lisa, she graduated to the big dogs. Over the years she had five Alaskan Malamutes and one Malamute wolf mix. She had enough love for felines too, from her Siamese Ming to the alley cat Gray and others in-between. For years she nursed Gray back to health after his numerous alley fights.

Kim took up running with the Striders running club and it quickly became a large part of her social life. She loved running hashes, locally and around the country. She trained and one year we cheered her on at the Chicago Marathon. Later, she ran, swam and biked in some triathalons. And in her later years, she found new enjoyment with her bunco group.

Kim was all about family. For years she brought niece Hunter to Easter and 4th of July Annuals with Clair in Chicago and later in the Northwoods of Wisconsin. She didn't have children of her own, but over the years enjoyed time with her friends and their children. And of course, niece Hunter spent many sleepovers with Kim and the animals. She had a special close relationship with her dad. She remained closely connected to her early childhood hometown of Sullivan, Indiana, and her relatives there. After her dad died Kim took over his tending of the family graves in the cemetery there. She would place pots of spring flowers and then Christmas trees for winter.

Family is planning a memorial gathering in Findlay in the spring. Kim's ashes will be interred in the family plot beside her twin sister, Kathy, at Center Ridge Cemetery in Sullivan, Indiana.

Memorial contributions may be made to Kathy Carty Memorial Scholarship of The Community Foundation, 101 West Sandusky St., #207, Findlay, OH 45840.

Services under the care of Cotner Funeral Home.