American Red Cross of Montana mourns the passing of volunteer Janet Kathleen Duffner at age 53
Bozeman, July 21, 2013 —Montana Red Cross lost one of their own on July 15th when Kathy Duffner, a much-valued volunteer, died in a car accident on her way home from a Red Cross shelter in Superior where she and husband John had been working that day.
“Losing a volunteer is always hard, but losing someone such as Kathy—in the prime of her life and after she spent her last day helping others at one of our shelters—that is especially difficult,” says Colleen Tone, Disaster Director for Montana Red Cross. “We are rallying around John to help him through this very difficult time.”
Kathy Duffner started volunteering for Montana Red Cross in September 2009, when she and husband John joined the organization as members of the Sanders County Disaster Action Team. They immediately set to work, taking the required training courses and volunteering in and around their home county wherever Red Cross services were needed.
During the Montana Floods in 2011, Kathy and John went farther afield, spending17 straight days delivering mass care to flood victims, including distributing over 500 clean up kits to people across the state. Kathy enjoyed working in tandem with her husband and they were an excellent and reliable team. She was always happy, energetic and willing to do anything that was asked of her. Whenever she and John were in Missoula or in Bozeman, they would stop at the Red Cross offices there to enquire how they could help.
In addition to volunteering for Montana Red Cross, Kathy and John were both active with YWAM and NOMADS. Kathy also worked as a nurse in Great Falls and Plains, was a manager of New Horizons assisted living center in Plains and an assistant manager of The Waterford in Helena.
Kathy embraced the lifestyle of caregiving and dedicated her life to serving and helping others. She will be greatly missed by all her who knew her, including her Red Cross family.
About the American Red Cross:
The American Red Cross shelters, feeds and provides emotional support to victims of disasters; supplies about 40 percent of the nation’s blood; teaches skills that save lives; provides international humanitarian aid; and supports military members and their families. The Red Cross is a not-for-profit organization that depends on volunteers and the generosity of the American public to perform its mission. For more information, please visit redcross.org or visit us on Twitter at @RedCross.