Kathleen “Kathy”Anne Rueschhoff Crothers was born in Leavenworth, Kansas, on December 9, 1945, to Dave and Edna Rueschhoff.
Kathy attended school in Grinnell, Kansas, and graduated from Grinnell High School in 1963. She also graduated from Fort Hays State University with a degree in elementary education. Kathy moved to Colorado a year after graduating where she met and married Lyle “Bud” Crothers in 1974. Bud built a beautiful cabin in the Colorado mountains where they raised Arabian horses. After several years of shoveling way too much snow, they purchased a few acres outside of Fayetteville, Arkansas. She enjoyed working for over 30 years in the computer room for the University of Arkansas.
Kathy was an avid reader of books and a lover of horses and dogs. She and her various horses participated in English riding, Arabian costume riding and then she found her love of endurance riding. She and Bud traveled to many endurance rides and enjoyed spending time around the campfire with their many friends. Kathy enjoyed the competition of endurance riding, attending the conventions with her friends, playing horse Uno, riding the hills of Arkansas with many of her friends and attending her Cowgirl Up meetings.
Kathy was actively riding her horses until her health declined three years ago and was ordered by her doctor to stop. Kathy touched many lives and will be greatly missed.
She is preceded in death by her parents and her husband.
Kathy is survived by her sisters Barbara (Lee) Broeckelman and Carolyn Robben both of Oakley, Kansas, a step daughter Connie (Gary) Schmidt, her step sons, Lyle Crothers, Indianapolis, Indiana and Matthew (Rhea) Crothers, Jacksonville, Florida, her step grandchildren, Bryan (Melissa) Schmidt, Josh (Rachel) Schmidt, Nicole Crothers and Michael Crothers, her step grandchildren, her nieces and nephews and her great nieces, nephews, cousins and her many friends.
Kathy’s celebration of life will held on Friday, November 21, 2025 at 2 pm at Beard’s Funeral Chapel, 855 South Happy Hollow Road, Fayetteville, Arkansas 72701.
Memorials may be made to Heroes and Horses, PO Box 1067, Manhattan, MT 59741 or donate to http://www.heroesandhorses.org (mention Kathy’s name when submitting).