Family: Trustee’s life was a blessing
Kuo died in an accident while volunteering at a food donation event
In their first comments since her tragic death Wednesday, the family of a beloved Dublin Unified School District board member called her a “real superhero” and said her “tireless love” was a blessing.
The post on the GatheringUs website, which serves as a virtual memo- rial for people, also announced a vigil for Catherine Kuo at 7 p.m. Sunday at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin.
Kuo’s family said it wanted to “honor one of our local superheroes” and invited people to share their thoughts, photos and remembrances of her on the site. The text was written by a person identifying herself as Kuo’s sister, Anita.
Kuo, 48, a school board trustee since 2019, died from the injuries she sustained when she was pinned between two vehicles while helping to distribute food boxes at Fallon Middle School.
“What does it take to be a real superhero?” the statement reads. “It takes someone who’s not afraid to touch the untouchable, to love the unlovable and to fight for the losing cause even if she’s the only one standing for it, until good wins in the end. It takes someone who
can be counted on to do the right thing, even without the supersuit, and ultimately, it takes someone who is willing to lay their life down for their friends.
“Catherine was all these things and more to family, neighbors, friends, community and her beloved city of Dublin.”
Anita will speak at the vigil, according to one of the event’s organizers, as will Kuo’s best friend, her pastor and Dublin school board President Dan Cherrier. Others in her family may choose to speak as well. An open microphone will be available for all those who attend if time permits.
Kuo was a wife and mother of two who was born in Redwood City. She grew up in Saratoga and lived in Dublin for the past 20 years. Her two children attend local schools.
She was volunteering as part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program as part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program, which helps families in the district hit hard by the pandemic.
She also had spoken out against anti-Asian hate and violence at a school board meeting Tuesday, encouraging those listening to “push ourselves to be better and think different.”
“She came from a family of immigrant parents from South Korea who taught her to work hard and smart, to never stop learning and to always hold onto faith, hope and love,” the statement read. “She was known for being the life of a party, neighborhood, community and school district and campaigning tirelessly for the cause of the underserved, forgotten and oppressed.”
The family also thanked the community for the outpouring of support.
“It has come like an ocean,” it read, “in a place where the desert of our grief seemed ready to consume us.”
In addition to Anita, Kuo is survived by her husband, William; son, Thomas; daughter, Natalie; her father, Frank; her mother, Terry; and her stepmother, Lisa.