Kathleen "Kathy" Anne O'Hara Hamada

On the evening of September 18, 2023, Kathy Hamada passed away in her home following complications due to a number of medical conditions including symptoms of long-haul COVID-19. She was 62.

Kathy was born in Burbank, California on March 21, 1961. She was the first child of musicians Betty Irene and Barrett Frank O'Hara of Sunland, California.

Growing up in a musical home, Kathy studied piano, oboe and flute in her school years. She attended Verdugo Hills High School and especially enjoyed playing piccolo in the VHHS Dons marching band and in the Los Angeles Police Department's ceremonial junior marching band. She also played oboe in the California Institute of the Arts youth orchestra through her high school years.

After graduating, she settled in Fresno, where she attended California State University. In addition to her academic work, she remained active in music, performing with the CSUF wind ensemble, which won several awards.

Kathy married Robert M. Hamada of Kingsburg, California, in 1982. The two remained together until they parted amicably in 1995.

In college, Kathy discovered her love of science—and biology in particular. After graduating with a BS degree in microbiology in 1987, she pursued further study in biochemistry and trained to become a licensed Clinical Lab Scientist and licensed member of the American Society for Clinical Pathology.

Kathy loved lab work. She loved analyzing specimens and examining things under a microscope, and over the course of her practice she developed particular skill in hematology and identifying rare leukemias. In recent years, she served as an instructor of physician residents and CLS students in hematology morphology—a responsibility she both enjoyed and took very seriously.

She dedicated her professional life to Community Medical Centers in Fresno, in a career that would span 33 years. Of her chosen profession, she said, "Nothing is better than participating in a patient getting well. It's the most meaningful part of my work."

Though she came from an agnostic family, Kathy was a spiritual seeker, and her journey led her to the Jewish faith in midlife. She completed her conversion and joined the congregation at Temple Beth Israel in Fresno.

Kathy was loved and respected by all of her friends and family. Known for a quick smile and an equally quick wit, she had a lovely sense of humor and an equally lovely sense of style.

She was a lifelong animal lover, and had a penchant for naming her cats after notable jazz musicians—Dexter (Gordon) and Benny (Carter) being two. She also loved the outdoors, enjoyed skiing, and traveled often to favorite spots in Santa Barbara, Yosemite, and oñf course Leo Carrillo beach in Southern California, where she grew up playing among the tide pools and rock formations with her parents and brother.

Kathy is survived by her brother and wife Jonathan and Heather O'Hara, and their sons Oscar and Arlen. She was laid to rest in a service at Beth Israel Cemetery in Fresno on October 6, 2023.