The Family of Kaitlyn Marie "Kate" Vasconcellos are pleased to announce the establishment of the Kate Vasconcellos Memorial Scholarship Fund
The Scholarship recipients from the Memorial Fund will be students who have been active in Whitney High School Theatre Program during their high school career and who have made a signifigant contribution to the Program, with an emphasis on selecting recipients that have demonstrated concern, care and personal growth of their fellow students and the quality of the Theater Program through their actions and deeds. The scholarship award criteria will also seek to reward students who have been active in community service activites.
Contributions being made by mail, can be directed to:
The Kate Vasconcellos Memorial Scholarship Fund
1322 Blue Oaks Blvd. Suite 100
Roseville, CA 95678
SERVICES:
The funeral service is May 29, 10am at Shepherd of the Sierra Presbyterian Church, 5400 Barton Road, Loomis, CA.
A “Seize the Day” Celebration of Life ceremony will be May 30th, 10am at Whitney High School Theatre, 701 Wildcat Blvd, Rocklin, CA
Kate is survived by her parents, Linda and Guy Vasconcellos of Rocklin, sister Brooke and brother Craig, as well as boyfriend Jonathan Jonas, grandmother Dolores McCall, and twenty-five aunts, uncles and cousins.
Kate was soon to complete her studies for an Honors degree in Economics from Scotland's St Andrews University. Family and friends were planning to attend her graduation next month.
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Our beautiful loving daughter, Kate, has unexpectedly passed away at just 24 years of age.
As many of you know, Kate was attending the University of St. Andrews in Scotland. She would have been graduating this Semester, and several family members, along with her boyfriend were planning to attend her graduation ceremony in June. In fact, she had just made her Honours Thesis presentation last friday, and had only one more final exam to complete that was scheduled for this week.
We know that many people are asking, and will be asking why and how did this happen. At this point, we still do not know for certain. And the final autopsy/medical examination is still is in progress.
About five weeks prior to her passing, Kate had become very ill, and did spend several days in a Hospital near St. Andrews. Linda and Jonathan flew out to be with Kate at that time. She did have a surgery to deal with an infection, which the medical staff stated that they were not fully able to determine the source of. However, all indications were that her recovery went fine, and that she had been feeling much better.
We do know that Kate presented herself to the local St. Andrews Hospital on Sunday morning with symptoms that sound very similar to those that she had experienced in her late March illness. She apparently received some antibiotics, and was scheduled to see her general practitioner later this week, but was released to return to her room. To the best of our knowledge, that was the last time that Kate was seen or heard from.
She was found in her room expired on Tuesday morning (May 5th).
At the current time, we are not able to provide any details as to when and where her funeral/memorial services will be held. Because of the circumstances around her passing, the fact that she will have to be repatriated to the US, and these processes involve the Scottish government, and the US Consulate here in the UK - there are many details yet to be worked out before we will be able to bring her home. And obviously, we were very unprepared for this.
Kate's passion was musical theatre. It was a focal point that she developed at a very early age, and carried through to her University days. During high school she was in every Whitney High School Theatre production, and was the first President of the Whitney High School Drama Club. She was also very active in Community Theatre and directed and choreographed several children's theatre productions. Upon graduation she first attended USC in their Theatre program before transferring to St. Andrews. And she has been a member of the Gilbert and Sullivan Society throughout her St. Andrews career. This past summer she had had the opportunity to combine her passion for musical theatre with her Economics studies, through an internship at The Sacramento Musical Theatre company.
-Guy & Linda
I was the lucky auntie who got to go to Scotland and be with Kate during her first few days at St. Andrews. Kate's mom Linda was suppose to be there too but stayed home because the student visa people messed up. Linda always put her children first and this was just another example of her love and dedication to Kate. The beautiful house Kate and I are standing In front of was rented for us by our sweet friend Marsha Coupe' and her loving husband Richard. Marsha and Richard came all the way from England to make our stay wonderful and perfect. It was my honor to accompany Kate to get her settled in the dorms, eat gross cafeteria food, do all the registration stuff and buy her red St. Andrews Robe. She would wear this special robe to many school functions. I feel so blessed to of had this time with Kate. We walked the amazing streets of St. Andrews talking and laughing. I greatly enjoyed listening to Kate and all her plans while attending St. Andrews University. What a perfect magical place for Kate to be. St. Andrews looked like a beautiful movie scene or picture from an incredible story book. Kate was so happy and so excited to start this next chapter of her life and I couldn't of been happier for her!
Love you sweet niece, Aunt Jacque
Yesterday my sweet precious Kate would have celebrated her 26th birthday. Kate was born on out 9 th wedding anniversary so we have shared this day with happiness for 24 years. Now without Kate it is truly a sad reminder of all we have lost. We miss you terribly sweet angel and love you more than ever. Love Mom
Happy Birthday My Dear Loving Kate,
This would have been your 25th Birthday, and we should be celebrating your graduation from the University of St. Andrews. I am proud of you earning your Honours Degree in Economics. Know that you will be graduating with your class today, even though you will not physically be there.
When thinking back on your birthdays, one of the two that first came to mind was the year that we were visiting Yellowstone National Park, and planned to be at the Old Faithful Geyser on your Birthday. We'd purchased your Birthday cake and all agreed that we should celebrate at the Geyser. You were about age seven or eight.
We were at the Geyser, it went off ... and we lit the candles on your cake and started to sing you the Happy Birthday song to you. There were about 75-100 people who had gathered to watch the Geyser go off, and most of them joined in to sing Happy Birthday to you, and congratulate you on your Birthday. And you, lovingly, wanted to share your Birthday cake with everyone ....
And at about that time is when it dawned on me, that I hadn't fully thought this situation through ... as we were woefully in short supply of cake, paper plates and forks in our motorhome and at the geyser. But you helped lead the way with the solution, suggesting that the cake be cut into very small pieces so that it could be shared with anyone who wanted some, and making sure that you talked with and said thank you to almost everyone gathered around for your birthday celebration. It was a great and cherished moment, that I will remember forever.
I Love You.
Dad
