In Memoriam: Kathy Bolton, MD
Kathryn Jean Bolton, MD, passed away December 27, 2015, after a heroic three-year battle with ovarian cancer. Bolton was a graduate of The Ohio State Medical School and a member of the 1988 Cincinnati Children’s residency class.
After completing her residency, Bolton moved to Los Angeles to pursue her lifelong dream of becoming a medical missionary. There she trained and prepared with Mission Doctors Association (MDA) and was sent to Papua, New Guinea. She served there for almost 3 years.
Bolton treated children with malaria, TB, leukemia and many other tropical and typical childhood illnesses, equipped with only limited laboratory and medication resources. After her marriage to John Ruley, the couple settled in Modesto, CA, where Bolton was a partner for over 20 years in a large private pediatric practice and lovingly cared for thousands of families.
Her missionary work did not stop. She continued to serve with MDA on short-term mission trips. Every three to four years, she served a one-month assignment, providing care and education in Ghana, Cameroon, Guatemala and Uganda. Bolton and her husband were private pilots and worked with LIGA International Flying Doctors of Mercy, where she volunteered regularly at a weekend clinic in Sinaloa, Mexico. They also served on the Board of Directors for MDA.
In 2013, Bolton and Ruley received the prestigious Msgr. Anthony Brouwers Award from MDA for their service and dedication to the poor and suffering throughout the world. Upon her death, her staff removed hundreds of photographs of children from her office door. They were given to her by the many families she took care of who loved her patient, caring manner. At her funeral, one of her sisters stated that Bolton lived by the rule, “Do the kind thing.” Her friends, family and patients would agree that this is how she lived her life.
-- Ellen Kellogg, MD
Springdale Mason Pediatrics
