The Life of Mrs. Kathleen Sturman

Kathleen(Kathy) Sturman, age 77, of Fairfield, the beloved wife of Jonathan Sturman,  passed away peacefully in her sleep Monday, July 4th after a relatively short battle with Alzheimer’s. The daughter of John and Helen Dicken, Kathy was born in Lexington, KY and attended Eastern Kentucky State University on a music scholarship.  She went on to receive a BA in Psychology from Sophia University in Tokyo where she resided for five years with her first husband and their children. She also earned an MBA from the University of CT while working full time at several companies in Fairfield County including Exxon Office Systems, Inteco and ABB in various administrative and managerial positions. Following her marriage to Jonathan Sturman in 1994, she was able to devote her energies to volunteer work, particularly those involving working with children. While living in Richmond, VA from 1996-2006 she developed a music program for inner city children at Friend’s Association for Children.  She also Initiated and implemented a very innovative and successful participatory children’s concert for the Richmond Symphony Orchestra. For these and other volunteer work, Kathy received the Junior League of Richmond Volunteer Achievement Award, among other honors. To fulfill her passions for music and teaching children, Kathy also trained to become a Suzuki Piano teacher. She continued to teach Suzuki Piano for the rest of her life and, after returning to Fairfield in 2006, began teaching English as a Second Language, mostly to Chinese immigrants. “Miss Kathy” was beloved by her many students for her warmth and her devotion to bringing out the best in them. When not teaching, Kathy enjoyed traveling, writing children’s stories, reading, bicycling, quilting, singing in her church choir, and numerous other pursuits.  With a smile on her face and a flower in her hair, she approached each day with an eagerness to interact with everyone around her and to help those in need. She will be sorely missed by all who knew her. In addition to her husband, she is survived by her children – Trent Porter, Vanessa Villamil and Devon Porter, her two sisters – Janet Hall and Beverly Woods, and seven grandchildren.