Kathryn A. Alberstein

Kathryn Ann Alberstein   Kathy Alberstein passed away earlier this month at age 72 of complications resulting from Alzheimer’s and Parkinson’s diseases.   Kathy was born in Oakland to Stan and Mary Surowiec.  When her father took a job at Waterman Industries, her family moved to the Valley and eventually purchased a home in Visalia.  She attended George McCann School, Mt. Whitney High School, College of the Sequoias, and San Diego State University, from which she graduated with her teaching credential.  More than ten years after graduating from high school, David Alberstein, a fellow member of her Mt. Whitney class also living in San Diego, called her for a dinner date.  They were married in San Diego a year later and remained together for more than 42 years until her passing.  They have one daughter, Jennifer Alberstein of Visalia.  They lived in San Diego County until 1997, when they moved to Los Alamos, NM.  They remained in Los Alamos for twelve years, including a three year interlude in Washington DC, and they retired to Visalia in 2009 to be close to family and friends.   Kathy worked over the years as an elementary school teacher, a day care provider, a real estate agent’s assistant, and a lease contract administrator.  She applied her considerable organizing abilities when she oversaw every detail of the year long redesign and remodeling of their retirement home in Visalia.  During retirement, she was active as a member of the Friends of the Tulare County Library, delivering books to residents at assisted living facilities and serving as the organization’s President for two years.   Kathy was very devoted to her friends and made many of them during her lifetime.  Several of her friendships lasted many decades.  People loved her for her generally optimistic and happy attitude, her lovely smile, and her sense of humor.  She loved animals (especially sea otters), reading mysteries, watching old classic movies, and listening to music, particularly popular songs from the 50s and Broadway musicals.  She also earned a PhD in shopping, which she loved to do with friends and relatives.  She enjoyed trips to Yellowstone with close friends, and trips to New York and other cities to see Broadway performances.  She paid close attention to the news and had strongly held views of the politics of the day.   She is survived by her husband, David, her daughter, Jennifer, her brother Stephen Surowiec and his wife Sharon, who was her closest friend, her sister in law Susan Alberstein, her brother and sister in law Mark and Marla Alberstein, all of Visalia, many nieces and nephews, and dozens of cousins, most of whom live in California.   Her family would particularly like to thank Wendi Valdez and her staff at Prestige Assisted Living for the wonderful care that they provided for Kathy during the last two years of her life.   A Celebration of Life will be held on Saturday, February 22, at 2:00 pm at the Hadley-Marcom Funeral Chapel in Visalia.  In lieu of flowers, her family requests that donations be made in Kathy’s memory to the Friends of the Tulare County Library.