Obituary
Kathleen Bolger VonHerbulis, age 68, passed away peacefully June 8, 2020 at home in Mt. Dora, Florida. She is survived by her loving husband, Ken, her children Dale, Kimberly and Eric, her 8 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren. All of these she loved and touched deeply. Our words seem woefully inadequate to describe how vibrant and beautiful life felt when Kathy was with us, nor the void her absence leaves in our lives.
Kathy was born March 12, 1952 in Pensacola Florida to Audrey and Bob Bolger. She grew up in Sanford, Florida, attending All Souls Catholic school and Seminole High, graduating in 1970. At Seminole she was the class Vice-President and after graduation she attended University of Florida and Florida State University. In 1978 she married Ken and gave birth to Eric a year later.
Kathy was a natural and gifted teacher, and she dedicated her life to education. After moving to Savannah, Georgia she taught in the Diocese of Savannah school system for many years. To us,
Kathy was a wife, mother, grandmother, but to her students she was simply Mrs. V. And Mrs. V remained a part of their lives long after they left her classroom. Even two decades later her students still reach out to her on Facebook, and they share our deep grief and loss.
An avid learner herself, Kathy was Phi Beta Kappa, graduated summa cum laude and went on to obtain her Master’s degree in Education from Georgia Southern University. The final years of her career were spent as a guidance counselor in underserved schools in Savannah. Kathy could never ignore injustice or those in need.
She was most at home on the beach, and the ocean was her inspiration. Over the years Kathy must have known the sand and waves of New Smyrna Beach better than anyone. She loved to protect the sea turtle nests and she took immense joy in every baby turtle that made it to the surf. It’s no surprise that in retirement she dedicated time as a volunteer at the Marine Science Center Sea Turtle Hospital.
Everyone who had the joy of knowing Kathy, in particular the family that loved her so much, owe a special and impossible debt of gratitude to Marilyn Dorman. When Kathy was at her time of greatest need you were willing to put yourself at risk to quite literally save her life. Because of your incredible gift we were all able to share six more wonderful years with Kathy. There is no way we can possibly express our appreciation. We ask that everyone reading this consider becoming an organ donor, it is truly a priceless gift.
Unfortunately the pandemic prevents us from having a proper celebration of Kathy’s life at this time, but we plan for an event in the future. In lieu of flowers Kathy asked that donations be made in her name to either the American Civil Liberties Union at https://action.aclu.org/give/now or Feeding America at feedingamerica.org.
Much Love Always,
Becky and Sheila
With deepest sympathies,
Lorelei Faucette