Katherine Louise Milano

Katherine “Kathy” Milano lost her hard-fought battle with cancer on Tuesday, March 28, 2023. She faced her fight with courage and dignity; she died at Santa Clara Kaiser with her family by her side. She leaves behind her wife, Julie Hilty, her daughters Courtney Alvarez (Edgar) and Caitlin Hilty and her grandson, Nico Alvarez.

Kathy was born on October, 10, 1949 in Berkeley, California to James and Magdalena Milano. She grew up in a large, loving family with two sisters and two brothers in El Cerrito, California.

She was preceded in death by her father James Milano, her mother Magdalena Milano, and her brother, Michael Milano (Sally).

Kathy was the middle child of five children and is survived by brother Charles Milano (Teresa) and her sisters, Virginia Paolini (Alan) and Linda Henniger. She is also survived by many nieces and nephews and many close friends.

Kathy was diagnosed with Chronic Lymphocytic Leukemia in 2012, for which she completed six rounds of chemotherapy; once she regained her strength, she started volunteering at the American Cancer Society because she wanted to help others who were fighting this awful disease. After volunteering for a few years, ACS hired her full time. She continued receiving treatment for CLL and Polycythemia Vera while working full-time. She retired in 2020, during the Covid pandemic. In December 2021, she was diagnosed with Acute Myeloid Leukemia and needed a bone transplant. In May 2022, she underwent the transplant with help from an unrelated donor in Germany. Her family, including her nieces, Gina, Ashley, and Chrissy were by her side the entire time taking her to Stanford every day for treatment.

Kathy loved spending time with her family and friends, watching movies, traveling, reading, playing board games, cross-stitching, spending time with her cats, and watching her favorite sports teams (Giants, Warriors, 49ers). Kathy also loved to volunteer and support many charities including making sure everyone had equal rights. One of her most memorable outings was to the 2012 NLCS Giants game. She was undergoing chemo and was told to avoid large crowds, but insisted on going and wore a mask, before masks were required for all.

A visitation for Kathy will be held Saturday, April 15, 2023 from 10:00 AM to 11:00 AM at Lima Family Erickson Memorial Chapel, 710 Willow Street, San Jose, CA 95125, followed by a funeral service from 11:00 AM to 12:00 PM. A reception at the Hilty-Milano residence will follow; all are welcome.

The family would especially like to thank Dr. Lori Muffly and the BMT team at Stanford University for the exceptional and attentive care Kathy received.

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to the American Cancer Society or the Leukemia and Lymphoma Society.