Katherine "Kathy" Louise Karsten age 72 of Caledonia, Michigan, passed peacefully into the arms of her Heavenly Father on Saturday, October 11, 2025, after a valiant nine-year battle with Pancreatic Cancer. She passed away at her home in Caledonia while being held and supported by her loving family during her final fight.

Born July 30, 1953, in Fremont, Michigan, Kathy was a daughter of Louis and Wanda Hadley. Kathy loved learning and valued education. She graduated from Grant High School. She earned an associate degree as a certified medical assistant from Davenport University in Grand Rapids in 1993. She worked as technician, ophthalmic photographer and scribe at Grand Rapids Ophthalmology for 16 years. While there, she became a certified ophthalmic technician. She went on to work at Retinal Specialists of Michigan in 2009. Kathy joined Foundation for Vision Research and played an integral role through clinical trials.

In addition to being a dedicated and loving mother, Kathy will be remembered for her kind and generous spirit. She woke each day with the thought, "How can I bless someone today?" She loved reading, tending to her flowers, and walking her dog, Bella. She was always up for an adventure and loved to travel. She cherished time with family and loved spoiling her grandkids. Above all, her love of the Lord shone through her faith-centered life and she was a testament to more people than we will ever know. Kathy was a member of Grand Rapids First Church with her husband, Tom.

Kathy is survived by her husband of 32 years, Tom; her 6 children, Carrie (Todd) Miller, Misty (Jason) Eakins, Matt (Karri) Murphy, Rachel (Heath) Postma, Adam (Mandy) Murphy, Thomas (Crystal) Karsten; grandchildren Joe, Megan, Nathan, Zach, Taylor (Tanner), Brayden, Ava, Tate, Cole, Miles, Landon, and Finn; great-grandson Teddy; sisters Pat (Ron) Wight, Vicki Berends, and Julia Hadley. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her brothers John Hadley, Kirk Hadley, and Bill Hadley.

A visitation for family and friends will be held at Zaagman Memorial Chapel (2800 Burton St. SE, Grand Rapids, MI 49546) on Tuesday, October 21, from 4-7 pm. A memorial service in celebration of Kathy's life will be held at 11:00 am on Wednesday, October 22 at Zaagman Memorial Chapel.

In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to Foundation for Vision Research (FVR).