Kathryn Dorene Hollister passed away peacefully on December 16, 2021, surrounded by her family.
Kathryn was born in Oxnard, California, on August 21, 1930, to Bud and Mildred Mundell, and the family settled in Lompoc in 1941. Kathryn, affectionately known as “Todd” by all of those who knew her best, graduated from Lompoc High School in 1948 where she was a cheerleader (“yell leader”), and her yell leader sweater is on display at the historic Spanne House in Lompoc. Soon after graduating high school Todd met Santa Maria native Richard Werst at a dance at the Rose Garden ballroom in Pismo Beach. They fell in love and were married in December 1949. After living as newlyweds in Lompoc and Solvang, they settled in Arroyo Grande where they raised their two sons, Richard Jr. and Jeff, and two daughters, Vanessa and LeEtta.
Todd worked as a meat cutter at a market in Grover City in the 1960s and as a bookkeeper at the Santa Maria Elks Lodge through the 1970s and 1980s. After her first husband passed away in 1990, Todd rekindled a romance with her high school sweetheart, Stan Hollister, whose wife had also recently passed away. It was love at second sight and the happy couple was wed in 1992. The marriage brought Todd back to her childhood home of Lompoc and provided her with new extended family, including stepsons Steve and David Hollister.
Todd cultivated a lifelong love of bowling starting at the age of 16 in her high school PE class, where half of the girls would bowl while the other half would set the pins before trading off again. Todd bowled in leagues throughout the central coast for 75 years, and bowled her final three games with her team at Vandenburg AFB in the week leading up to her admission to the hospital in November. Todd was an avid Dodgers fan as well, with her fandom beginning while the team was still based in Brooklyn prior to relocating to Los Angeles. She also enjoyed gardening and knitting and was well known for making sweaters and lap blankets for friends, family and care facilities, as well as beanies for cancer patients.
Todd is survived by daughter Vanessa, sons Rich (Dess), Jeff (Margit), stepsons Steve, David (Connie), grandchildren Phillip, Kim, David, Karen, Ron, Michael, Brian, Ashtyn, stepgrandchildren Ashley, Dustin, Colton, Katie, Nick and Sean, and numerous great-grandchildren. Kathryn is also survived by her sister Donna Williams. Kathryn was proceeded in death by her parents, her sister Barbara Cabral, her first husband Richard Werst, second husband Stanley Hollister, daughter LeEtta, and grandson Jeremy.
A celebration of life is planned for 10:00 Saturday morning, January 22 at Cityview Community Church of Lompoc, 1600 Berkeley Dr., with a reception to follow at the Lompoc Elks Lodge. The family wishes to recognize and thank the doctors, nurses and medical staff of the Lompoc Valley Medical Center for their care and compassion. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the SLO Noor Foundation, or the St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.
Funeral arrangements are being handled by Starbuck-Lind Mortuary in Lompoc.
