IN MEMORIAM

Our mother, Kathy Lieberman, a woman of energy, fearless vision, and a smile that warmed a room, passed away peacefully in November 2025, her family by her side. She was born Kathy Letitia Karr on December 9, 1938, in Rochester, New York, and for 86 years, she filled the world with a unique and unforgettable light.

Mom grew up in Jamestown, New York. She was the bright, charismatic older sister, popular and full of life. She was devoted to her father, Dr. John Karr, a physician whose early death from diabetes during her college years left a lasting mark on her heart. It was a loss that shaped her, but it never extinguished her spirit.

She carried that spirit to the College of William & Mary, where she took on the challenge of earning a degree in mathematics. In an era when few women entered the field, she excelled, proving early on that she was never one to be deterred by convention. Her time in Williamsburg also instilled in her a deep love for colonial aesthetics that would beautifully inform the rest of her life.

After college, she moved to Baltimore to teach disadvantaged young women, a role suited to her desire to help and nurture. It was there she met her first husband, Peter Balbach. They married and soon we came along, John, followed by Stephen. Our early years were in Towson, but a move to Pittsburgh proved to be a difficult transition for a woman who had happily left the cold north behind. True to her nature, she took control of her own happiness, returning to Maryland with her two boys in tow.

Mom was always an adventurer. She lived for a time in a small spiritual community and later, with her second husband, Bob Norris, took on the incredible project of converting the wing of an abandoned barn into a home. By the mid-70s, she was a single mother again, raising us in a townhouse in the new city of Columbia. It was there she met Henry Lieberman. They married and blended their two families, creating our own version of the Brady Bunch on Tooks Way. For a decade, she lovingly shepherded five teenagers through the trials and triumphs of high school and onto college.

But Mom always needed a project. With Henry, she purchased Cherry Grove, a dilapidated 18th-century historic home. While others saw ruin, she saw potential. Over years of hard work, she transformed it into a showpiece. After her marriage to Henry ended, though they remained friends, this became her life's great passion. She embarked on a remarkable career of buying, restoring, and selling homes that others were too intimidated to touch. From "Mini-Ha- Ha," a cozy 18th-century log cabin, to "Tanglewood," a sprawling 19th-century farm, she had an uncanny ability to see the beauty in forgotten places and bring them back to life, always with an artist's eye and a practical budget.

Her life was woven into the fabric of her community. She was a spiritual person, and her church was a source of great friendship and comfort. She founded a successful nail salon, and after selling it to her employees, she continued doing nails from her home for decades. Her clients were her friends; they shared their lives over polish and conversation. She volunteered at Montgomery County General Hospital and the Sandy Spring Museum, even serving as president for the hospital's massive annual bazaar.

Above all, she was our mother. She was our biggest fan, always supportive of our choices, and overflowing with unconditional love. When Stephen faced a life-altering injury that resulted in paraplegia, she was his rock, helping him navigate his new reality with grace and strength. Though our paths led to different places, with John eventually settling in California, every visit home was a joy, and she adored her two grandchildren, Cyrus and Ayla.

She was a woman of many talents-painting, sewing, turning discarded things into treasures. And she had a legendary sweet tooth. A meal out wasn't complete without a giant dessert, and her love for ice cream was second to none.

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Her final years were shadowed by Alzheimer's. The isolation of the 2020 lockdown was particularly hard, and as her condition worsened, Stephen moved in with her, lovingly caring for her for two years-a beautiful testament to the bond they shared. In her last chapter, she lived in a nursing home alongside her sister, Mary. They were known as the facility's favorite pair, still finding moments of humor and connection. Even as her memories faded, her spirit would occasionally shine through. In her final days, she could no longer speak, but when we held her hand, she would nod, letting us know she knew we were there.

Our mother lived many lives. She was a daughter, a sister, a student, a teacher, a wife, a restorer of homes, and a pillar of her community. But to us, she will always be Mom-the fearless, smiling, loving woman who built a beautiful world for her family, one project, one home, and one act of kindness at a time. We will miss her in our lives dearly forever.

Click to visit Kathy's Legacy.com page