Kathleen Nugent Janger

CYPRESS, TEXAS On the evening of September 1, 2022, Kathleen passed away at home at the age of 82, following a long illness. She is survived by her three children, Margaret (William) Flynn, Jay (Kristin) Janger, and Andrea (Matte) Scheinker; her grandchildren, Hayley (Neil), Will, Brian, Megan, and Sadie; and a host of relatives and close friends. She was predeceased by her husband, Stephen, and her mother, Eileen Ayers.

Born in Davenport, Iowa, Kathie spent her childhood overseas, attending numerous international schools including Assumption Covenant School and the Manila American School in Manila, Philippines; the American School in Kifissia, Greece; and the Cairo American School in Egypt. In 1956, her parents were transferred to Saigon, Vietnam, but Kathie remained behind in Cairo to finish the school year amidst air raids that were the precursor to the Suez Crisis. She arrived to meet her parents in Saigon in mid-1956. Because there was no school in Saigon, Kathie attended Brent International School in Baguio, Philippines, where, in addition to her studies, she excelled in basketball, track, and singing. She was one of 11 members of Brent’s graduating class of 1957. Kathie returned stateside to study French at William Smith College in Geneva, New York. Following college, Kathie settled in the Washington, D.C. area, where her early career included positions at American Airlines and a few public relations firms.

In 1965, in partnership with her husband Stephen and brother-in-law Stanford, she helped found and operate AIMS International, a summer study abroad program. Following this initiative, the three formed a new and more dynamic enterprise in 1971, the Close Up Foundation, which to date has brought nearly one million students and teachers to Washington, D.C. to experience an up-close view of our government and democratic process.

Through the years, Kathie authored or co-authored many books and essays. Her most well-known work, Until We Meet Again (1982), was co-authored with friend Mike Korenblit and tells the true story of love, family, and survival in the Holocaust. Today, the book remains one of the best-selling books at the United States Holocaust Memorial Museum in Washington, D.C.

In 1984, along with friend Joan Korenblit, she established the Young Writer’s Contest Foundation, a nationwide writing competition for elementary and junior high school students that published winning submissions in annual anthologies for 10 years.

She treasured spending time with her kids and grandkids and found endless joy in cooking, baking, and sharing the spoils with others. She delighted in playing bridge, Scrabble, Words with Friends, shopping, traveling, attending concerts and musical theater, and having new experiences. She was also famous for sewing your dreams into reality.

Kathie will be remembered for her warmth, inviting smile and riotous, fabulous laugh. She practiced relentless generosity, and modeled integrity, sincerity, grace, and strength. She was the person you called when you needed help finding a way forward, developing a process, problem solving, or bringing ideas to life, whether it be the operations of a fledgling national foundation or a grandchild’s hand-sewn Halloween costume. Your project was her project; your cause was her cause. Kathie believed in you.

She will be laid to rest at Davenport Memorial Park, 1022 E39th Street, Davenport, Iowa, 52807. Timing for her interment and celebration of life is being determined. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Voter Participation Project (https://www.voterparticipation.org) or a charity of your choosing. The family encourages you to participate in our democratic process by exercising your right to vote and encouraging others to do the same.