Kathy Nellius - Obituary

athy Starr Nellius, 54, a resident of Annapolis, MD for 28 years and previously of Richmond, VA, died of metastatic breast cancer on Wednesday, March 6, at her home surrounded by her loving family. Born on October 20, 1964 in Ft. Wayne, IN to Nancy Yowell Starr and the late Gordon B. Starr, Kathy was a graduate of McDowell High School in Erie, PA and the College of William and Mary in Williamsburg, VA where she earned a Bachelors’ Degree in computer science. Kathy began her career in management consulting at Price Waterhouse in 1986. She decided to leave her job to care for her young children and then re-entered the workforce 20 years later to start her own consulting business. For the past few years she has been leading several transformation projects for the Maryland Department of Health. Kathy was best known for volunteering her time, talent and resources to charitable causes. She provided emergency relief efforts through FoodLink for 25 years, eventually serving as the president of the board of directors. She volunteered for anything and everything, if there was a need she was there. She also enjoyed many friends and activities such as traveling, shopping and vacationing. Her primary focus was her family and ensuring that she nurtured and cared for her children. Kathy is survived by her husband of almost 30 years, Dan Nellius; her children, Mike and Matt Nellius both of Arlington, VA and Caroline Nellius of Annapolis, MD; her mother, Nancy Yowell Starr of Erie, PA and her brother, Joel (Kelly) Starr of Pittsburgh, PA. She was preceded in death by her father, Gordon B. Starr. Friends are invited to celebrate Kathy's life at the Kalas Funeral Home & Crematory, 2973 Solomons Island Rd., Edgewater, MD on Thursday, March 14 from 2 to 4 and 6 to 8 PM. Mass of Christian Burial will be offered at St. John Neumann Catholic Church, 620 Bestgate Rd., Annapolis,MD on Friday, March 15 at 10:30 AM. Interment will follow at Lakemont Memorial Gardens in Davidsonville, MD. In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made to the breast cancer research organization, METAvivor, Inc., 1783 Forest Dr., #184, Annapolis, MD 21401 (metavivor.org). Condolences may be made by accessing the link on this page.