Lieutenant Colonel Kathleen Ireland, USAR retired, age 73, passed into the loving arms of her Heavenly Father and Jesus Christ, on Wednesday, December 9, 2015. She was the daughter of the late Charles and Victoria (Guzek) McCoy. Kathy was born on April 18, 1942, in Erie, Pa.

A graduate of Academy High School, she earned her Registered Nursing Certificate through Saint Vincent Hospital, her Bachelor's Degree from Gannon University, and her Master's Degree from Central Michigan University. Kathy's professional career included company nurse at General Electric, ER nurse at St. Vincent Hospital, and Army Reservist at 382nd Combat Support Hospital, prior to starting her active duty career in the Active Duty Reserves for 20 years in various parts of the country.

Kathy held various officer positions in volunteer organizations where she lived. She was an active member/officer of Parents without Partners and the Presque Isle Snowmobile Club while she lived in Erie, Pa. When she retired from the Army, she moved to College Station, Texas, where she became an active member of the Newcomers Club and held various officer positions in the organization. She was a member of the board for Parks and Recreation and the Hospice in College Station, Texas. She also volunteered with the Women's Auxiliary in the College Station Fire Department, and was a docent at the Bush Library.

She will be remembered as a loving and devoted mother and grandmother. She is survived by her son, James Ireland and his wife, Cecilia, from Newark, Del.; daughter, Jennifer Dvoracek and her husband, Michael; and grandsons, Charles and John from Prattville, Ala.; sister, LouAnn Lethaby of Erie, Pa.; and brothers, Jeff McCoy and his wife, Vicky, of Brenham, Texas and Kevin McCoy and his wife, K.R., of Crofton, Md.

A memorial service (celebration of her life) is being arranged sometime in the spring/summer.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Great Lakes Hospice, 1700 Peach St., Suite 244, Erie, PA 16501, or the Aggieland Humane Society www.aggielandhumane.org

Arrangements were under the direction of Brugger Funeral Homes & Crematory, 1595 West 38th Street, at Greengarden Boulevard.

Published in the Erie Times-News on Dec. 13, 2015