Katherine Hope Broadway

Katherine Hope Bechtle was born on October 16, 1973, in Belleville, New Jersey. She grew up in in Mission Viejo, California, attended Wheaton College in Illinois, and received her Master’s of Science in nursing from Vanderbilt University in Nashville, Tennessee. Katherine took her skills and her nurse practitioner’s license back to California, where she worked in a mobile clinic to underserved communities in San Juan Capistrano, brushing up on her medical Spanish along the way. While working in Southern California and through the targeted designs of her good friend, she met a Pepperdine law student named Scott Broadway and fell in love. They were married in August 2001 to the great delight of her 9 bridesmaids (all best friends) and celebrated to the tunes of mariachis alongside a delicious and melting tres leches cake. Scott and Katherine settled into life in Laguna Niguel.

Through the further designs of their matchmaking friend, Katherine and Scott began to grow their family, traveling to Chicago to adopt Abigail Grace. Scott and Katherine followed a call to Camp Alandale and moved to the apple orchards of Julian, California, to help run a camp for abused and neglected children, a ministry that Katherine had been involved in since her own childhood. In 2007, they crossed the country to pick up Johanna Faith in Florida, and not too long after their family grew again, exponentially, as Rebecca Joy arrived from Illinois and Talitha Hope from New York City. They returned to the coastal cities where Katherine worked for Minute Clinic and Scott as a high school teacher, and they purchased a four-seat stroller that they could push up and down the hills of San Clemente and the San Diego Zoo. The girls became gymnasts, or rather, they put their tremendous tumbling skills under the instruction of actual coaches. Katherine and Scott loved and were loved by the communities of Pacific Coast Church and eventually Cornerstone Christian Church.

In 2013, the six Broadways packed up two minivans and moved cross country to Nashville and to the very welcoming communities of Otter Creek Church and Lipscomb Academy. They embraced soccer, softball, and singing, and transferred their membership from the San Diego to the Nashville Zoo. In Nashville, Katherine continued for a time with Minute Clinic, but eventually chose to become a traveling school nurse.

In 2016, Katherine was diagnosed with appendix cancer, and began her brave fight against the physical decay of her body. Her incredible faith and courage throughout the ordeal were recorded on her CaringBridge site.

“Even if I am not being healed, I know the Lord is working and answering prayers. Many loved ones have left this earth before me, covered in as many prayers as I have had. Why some people get healing and some do not, I do not even pretend to understand. I do know that God is the definition of love, and that He has a bigger perspective. I trust Him. He is worth it—He is Who He says He is.” 

“Jesus is near. He reminds me daily of His great love, His provision, His protection, His strength, His courage, His grace, His wisdom, His compassion, His presence. He is with us. He is for us. He is working on us and making us like Him.” 

[Text Wrapping Break]“The Lord has met me and shown me such mercy, grace, and reassurance of His love and His purpose in my life, even in my cancer diagnosis. This is what I know about my situation for sure. God is good and Satan is bad. God did not cause this cancer and He is not for it. He will use it for His glory. Satan seeks to kill, destroy, and twist what God has created you for. I know without a doubt that God is with me and will uphold me AND my family through this. He is good! I am learning to loosen my grip and let Him take my worry. And it is His word that helps me keep my hands open.” 

“Instead of living like I am dying, I am going to live like I am loving. I want to love like my Savior is loving me.”

Katherine left this earth on September 15, 2020, having poured her life and love into her roles as wife, mother, daughter, sister, adored aunt, best friend, neighbor, nurse, niece, cousin, softball fan, and beloved of Christ. Those who met her saw Jesus in her open heart; felt valued by her attentive ear; were cared for by her wise and loving counsel, and were amazed by her joy. Early on in her diagnosis she wrote on her hallway chalkboard “anticipating God’s glory in this story” and in her living and loving, she showed us what a glorious story can be.

Katherine is survived by husband Scott and beloved daughters Abbie, Josie, Becca, and Tess, as well as her parents Sam and Lois Bechtle and Linwood and Josephine Broadway; siblings Jon (Laila) Bechtle, Helen-Joy (Benjamin) Lynerd, Komisha Owosekun, James (Scarlette) Broadway, and Tom Trimble. She was preceded in death by sister in law Melissa Trimble. She was adored by her nieces and nephews Marina (Lee), Daniel, Grace, Nathan, Seth, Jackson, Irena, Elizabeth, Emma, Evangeline, Abel, Esther, and Lydia.