Katherine Louise Griffing, MD was born on Oct. 24, 1954, to John and Connie Rumely. Together with her brother Robert and sister Beth, she spent most of her growing up years in Bozeman, where she was an honor student in the Bozeman schools and at Montana State University. There she also met her husband, Bob Griffing. The Griffing family lived in Germany for twenty years, before settling in Spokane, Washington, in 2000.While raising her four children, Katie, Brian, Hanna, and Kirsten, Katherine studied Medicine at Goethe University in Frankfurt, Germany. She fulfilled her lifelong dream of becoming a doctor in 2000. Following her residency, she became a hospitalist at Sacred Heart Medical Center. Starting in 2007 she worked to found the Diabetes Care Service, meeting an ongoing need of post major surgery patients.As a mother, Katherine took pleasure in "launching" each of her children into adulthood. Her creativity and love touched everyone in the family, including spouses Alicia, Ben and Jeffery, and grandchildren Mark, Sean and Lily. She also invested deeply in her friendships. Often friends, colleagues and relatives became overlapping categories.Katherine had a very active devotional life. This habit of many years brought renewal in her life, as she enjoyed God's personal care for her. Through the past twelve years of her on and off battle with cancer, Katherine remained an inspiration in her dedication to her family and profession, and to her own journey in self-discovery. The time we had together was truly a gift of God's grace.Katherine died on Sept. 27, 2016. Her memorial service was in Spokane on Oct. 7. She is remembered and will be dearly missed by her husband of forty years, her children and their families, her mother, sister and brother, numerous relatives and friends, and countless others whom her life touched.For those wishing to make a donation in Katherine's memory, the family suggests the Providence Health Care Foundation in memory of Dr. Katherine Griffing for Diabetes Education (101 W. 8th Avenue, Spokane, WA 99204).