Kathy Elizabeth Charvat

I was born in East Baltimore, (Hon!) Md and lived there until I joined the U.S. Army after graduating from high school in 1974, On 1/OCT/74 I was off to see the world! It was an interesting time (Aaahhhhh! The good old days of the cold war!) I came in during a time when the military was opening many traditionally male career fields to females. Because of the push, I was one of the first female carpenters in the Army.

My first assignment was to HHC, 4th Trans BDE, Oberursel, Germany. I spent the first two years doing a mix of carpenter and supply duties. Alas the Army began phasing out my MOS in 1976, so I ODT'd into the transportation field. I specialized in passenger traffic movements for six years and POV shipments for the one. During my nine years, I received three Good Conduct Medals, two Army Commendation medals, one Joint Service Commendation Medal, one Humanitarian Service Medal, and several Certificates of Achievement. I served for nine years, and my assignments took me from Germany to Korea with a stateside tour in between in South Carolina.

After my discharge in November 1983, I moved to Indianapolis, Indiana. I began working for the Army as a civilian at Fort Benjamin Harrison in February 1984. I started out as the motor pool dispatcher at DPW. In 1987 I completed my associate's degree in business management from Vincennes University. In June 1989 I graduated on the Dean's List with a bachelor's degree in business analyst from Indiana University in June 1989. In the same month, I began working for the transportation Payments Directorate in what is now known as the defense Finance and Accounting Service (DFAS) Indianapolis. I Held a variety of different jobs connected to the transportation field through the payments of transportation related documents. I worked in the systems office, the Quality Assurance office, was Chief of Personal Property Payments, and the Transportation Pay Customer Service Office. I had the very fortunate experience of being the Chief, Loss and Damage Branch within the Claims a\& Adjudication Division where we adjudicated freight claims against carries who haul military cargo.

I have since been with USARCS for 22 years 08 months. I spent 17 years in Personnel Claims doing training, systems development, GFEBS implementation, and policy interpretations, assisting field offices and claimants by providing guidance on claims. In December 2017, after PC claims were consolidated at Ft Knox, KY, I was adopted by HQ, USARCS Torts Division and began learning how to be a Tort Claims Investigator. The time has whizzed by.

When I am not at USARCS, I am the Director of Logistics Management, Food Services Coordinator, Human Spell Checker, and Deputy Chief Financial Officer at a small residence in Pasadena, MD. My husband of 32 long years is Richard Clarke. He is happily retired from teaching the 5th grade and a second part-time job at Home Depot. We have two offspring, Charles and Margaret, aged 32 and 30 respectively who begun their own adventures in the world. Kathy is also survived by her sister Karen Hicks (Nee Charvat) and brother-in-law Bob, and her sisters-in-law Nancy Charvat and Denise Lynch. She is preceded in death by her parents Doris and James Charvat, and her brother James. I am a Baltimore Orioles fan, so I am working harder than usual at being hopeful. I am also experimenting with doing artsy phartsy things on the side. In the time left over, I battle the effects of my misspent youth by exercising and applying nearly illegal amounts of moisturizer to my face.

Kathy loved her family, friends, chocolate, wine, and having a good laugh. She was happiest of all when all of those things could be enjoyed at the same time. She enjoyed playing board games, trivia, solving puzzles, and problems. She is grateful to her family and friends for the love and patience she received over the years.

A Funeral Mass will be celebrated in the St. Andrews Episcopal Church 7859 Tick Neck Road, Pasadena, Maryland at a later date.