KC, our beloved Board Administrator, our Everything, has passed away

[Matt]

23 Years Ago, a member simply known as KC joined a little message board on the internet called the Clint Eastwood Web Board. She soon became everything to this board -- a Moderator and eventually the main Administrator of the board. There was rarely a topic that she didn't weigh in on. She was a researcher, a bibliophile, and so much more. To me, she was one of my very best friends, for just over 20 years.

I am reeling from the email we received today, and I will have more to say later. Right now, I am in mourning, and unable to find the words that would do her justice. Then again, I'm sure there are no words that I could come up with to do just that. I would turn to her and ask for her help. She always had the right words. Every single word in about 10 or 12 languages in which she was fluent. Friends, tonight, please take some time to think of how amazing this #1 Eastwood fan and friend is. How much time she dedicated to this board, and share your thoughts with us.
 
Here is all we know as of now -- the email we received:

Dear Eastwood board,

Forgive me if you've already received this information.  I'm very sorry to let you know that KC (Kathie Coblentz) died unexpectedly last Saturday evening, from head injuries when she fell after having been struck by a car.

I was one of Kathie's co-workers, and we've been longtime friends since the late 1990s.  A mutual friend contacted me just a couple of hours ago, and I'm still in shock and disbelief.

Kathie was 73.  She leaves no immediate survivors except for her friends, who certainly include you and all devoted Eastwood fans.

Please let me hear from you if you have any questions, although I don't know much more yet than what I've shared here.  I know you must be as stunned and saddened as I am, and my heart goes out to all of you.

With best wishes,

Laura O'Keefe

Laura included an email address, but I do not want to share it on a public forum. If you wanted to write her directly please PM me.

All I can really say at this point is that she may not have had family, but she had a lot of love from friends. I will never ever know anyone like her. This is a hole in my heart that will never be filled. RIP dear Kathie, "KC".

[The Schofield Kid]

I?ll have more to say next week as I?m away on holidays at the moment. Woke up this morning to this shocking news. I really can?t believe it. 

[Gant]

Such sad and shocking news...
I feel like Ive known her forever, a lovely lady and friend.
We only met once in person, sharing a coffee and chatting in NY some years ago, we always joked that Id return the favour
one day here in London.. When I was quite ill some years ago I messaged her and she was so supportive and kind.. We continued
to message and I always enjoyed hearing from her.. such warmth, intelligence and a great sense of humour..
Im going to miss her so much ..
Its difficult to take this in.. R.I.P Kathie

[AKA23]

Matt, I'm so sorry to hear this. Kathie (KC) passing way is shocking, devastating, heartbreaking news for me. She was the Clint Eastwood web board. She had more knowledge about Clint Eastwood and his films than anyone else that posts here by far, and her dedication to this board and its members was unrivaled and unparalleled. Like Matt, I had gotten to know KC over the years. I last checked in with her three months ago to see how she was doing during COVID, and she said she was doing well and was as busy as ever. Like Gant, I too met KC once in New York City. It was back when I was in college and we met up outside her place of employment, the New York Public Library. I was so excited to meet someone from the Eastwood board! 

I have also benefited from her kindness over the years. A few years ago, I posted that I didn't really have any family and friends living in my area (I live in the Washington DC area), and I think I mentioned one year that I usually spend holidays alone and didn't have anything to open on Christmas. For the past few years, around Christmas time, she's surprised me with some unexpected gifts since she is a collector of Eastwood memorabilia. One year I got both editions of her Clint Eastwood: Interviews books, and in two subsequent years she sent me duplicate press kits that she had, and another Eastwood book. Those were the only presents I got for those years, and I very much appreciated her kindness and the unexpected cheer that brought to me. She found it gratifying to share some of what she had with another Eastwood fan who she had gotten to know and who she thought might appreciate it. That was Kathie.

Whenever I had a question about Eastwood or the board, she never failed to respond. If I needed help with something, like when I asked her to track down whether a book that Eastwood optioned but that was never actually made into a film actually was ever published, she was happy to use her library resources to help and was able to determine that the book that I'd been wanting to read for years wasn't actually ever published.

Like Matt, I also found her to be very smart and very witty. She came across as kind of shy, reserved, introverted, and unassuming in person, and not as bold as she often did on the board, so I like to think that our board presented her with an opportunity to show another side of herself that she may not have always gotten to display in her everyday life. Despite not having any family, she seemed to be pretty content with her life, and I always marveled at how she managed to maintain such an enthusiastic, upbeat attitude given those circumstances. Although I do have family, they live far away and I find my life to be very lonely. I always meant to ask her that, since I thought I could learn a lot from her, but I didn't want to be rude and cause her to reflect on anything that might be hard for her, so I never did. Now I'll never get the chance to do so

When I joined the board in 2000, I know I initially annoyed the hell out of her with my endless enthusiasm and wild-eyed speculation about Eastwood and his films. However, although I don't know this for a fact, I think that annoyance reduced as time went on, and that that she gained a genuine appreciation for me and my contributions to the board over the years. Although I can't prove that, I like to think that's true. I think she grew to respect my knowledge of Eastwood and his films. She was always complimentary of my writing skills. She asked me to write a couple film summary narratives for the board, and when I wrote reviews of his films, she often complimented them. Like KC, I am a pretty analytical person, so I think we both enjoyed analyzing Eastwood films and finding themes across his work.

It saddens me greatly that someone who ran every day and sought to keep herself fit as she aged, who always appeared to me to be a very healthy person, died tragically in an accident at the age of 73. I feel like she could have lived so many more years! It's even more painful for me because my uncle, who was 71 when he died, died in a very similar way after falling backwards on an escalator and hitting his head. The fact that KC died in such similar circumstances has brought all that pain that I felt when he passed away back.

I would be very interested in participating in any Zoom funeral that she might have, so Matt, please let me know when you learn more about how her friends might be celebrating her life. She was a wonderful, remarkable, kind-hearted woman, who like all of us, loved Eastwood and his films. I will miss her and her contributions to this board greatly. Rest in Peace, Kathie, and my condolences go out to Laura and all of her friends who are experiencing this tremendous loss. I wish them strength and peace during this very difficult time.

[Matt]

AKA, Kathie grew to think of you as a favorite nephew (her words, not mine). Not mincing words here -- you're right, you annoyed her when you were young. But, as the years went on, she looked at you differently, and yes she came to apprciate and respect your posts and grew to care for you a lot.

As for what you wrote about wanting to ask if she was ever lonely, well, I've asked. She said her life was unconventional, but that she was very happy. She never felt alone. She said she loved conversing wtih all of us online, and watchng Yankees games in real time while discussing them on her favorite Yankees forum, and discussing Clint with us here. She said she felt 100% fulfilled. She also joked "and no one cares if I leave my dirty socks on the floor!" 

She did have a great sense of humor. And you're right -- her personality here was larger than life. I loved her. She was one of my favorite people.

[Matt]

Laura was kind enough to forward to me a tribute that the President of the New York Public Library send to all the NYPL staff today. It's a beautiful tribute, so I'm posting it here:

Dear Colleagues,

I write to share some tragic news. Kathie Coblentz, a dedicated public servant and research librarian who worked at NYPL for over 51 years, passed away unexpectedly following a motor vehicle accident over the weekend. She was 73.

This is devastating news. To echo Kathie's supervisor Deirdre Donohue, our hearts are broken. Kathie was an institution here at NYPL. She truly loved the Library, and gave so much of her time, thought, and attention to advancing its mission. She spent her entire career here, starting in July of 1969--just weeks before the moon landing. She was recruited right out of library school at the University of Michigan, and, according to Deirdre, thought "she'd do that until she could figure out what is next." Well, over 50 years later, Kathie's love for and dedication to her job kept her at the Library, most recently in the 42nd Street library as part of the special formats processing department of the Miriam and Ira D. Wallach Division of Art, Prints and Photographs. She was known as an extremely thorough and vigorous cataloger who took very seriously the responsibility of connecting the public to our collections. As she meticulously did her job, she would make discoveries and observations that she would enthusiastically share with the public through thoughtful blog posts.

Deirdre, who called Kathie the "matriarch of our work family," described Kathie's work as "artisanally-crafted catalog and authority records that were the products of detective work, deep research, and skepticism about facts leading to truly rich description and access of items in the library's coffers of great value and importance. These metadata portraits will live on and remind us of some of what she loved about her job."

Kathie was also an active, vocal member of the research staff who cared deeply about the organization, its decisions, and its future. Deirdre shared that Kathie "was the most resilient in the pandemic, just got on with it. Cataloged throughout. Was among the first eager to pop in." That dedication to her work and to our patrons is remarkable. Also known for her quick wit (Deirdre said that "our check-ins were the absolute best"), Kathie was never shy about sharing her opinions, and I always appreciated that. I am grateful for her thoughts and expertise after five decades of experience here. I am also grateful that her love of the Library and its collections never faltered. For her 50th year at NYPL, her team had a silk scarf custom printed for her  featuring the Columbus letter because she always said it was extremely beautiful and should be a scarf. She loved it.

Outside of work, Kathie, a Hell's Kitchen resident, read in many languages (she learned Danish, Swedish, and Norwegian to read murder mysteries), ran in Central Park every weekend, and was a die-hard Yankees fan. In fact, she was excited to attend last night's game, her first game since the world was turned upside down, and had gotten vaccinated well in advance to be ready for it (the Yankees clobbered the Orioles, and somewhere, Kathie is smiling). Kathie also had a secret cinephile life too, and was an indexer, editor, and researcher on several books about movie directors Clint Eastwood and Woody Allen.

She led a rich life, and we are all lucky to have known her. Kathie's energy and expertise will absolutely be missed. The Library will not feel the same without her. But we take comfort in knowing that patrons of the Library, an organization she cared about so deeply, will benefit from her hard work and contributions for generations to come. Thank you, Kathie.

Yours,

Tony



--

Anthony W. Marx

President


The New York Public Library
Stephen A. Schwarzman Building

476 Fifth Avenue, New York, NY 10018
212.930.0736

nypl.org

[-satu-]

This is so sad. Never met KC but she really was the heart and soul of this board. So nice to everybody. When my daughter was born, she asked if she could see her picture and I sent her some by email. I?m so saddened by these news.

[Americanbeauty]

Such sad news...
KC was kind of like The Mom here. A "mother hen" figure. That's how I always saw her anyway.
I was 21-ish when I first stumbled upon this little corner of the internet. People here became like my tribe. I was away from my family for college and the Board helped me tremendously. I made lifelong friends. That's not nothing.
I will always cherish those years. And KC was always here. Always available. To chat, but mostly to answer our (many, many) Eastwood-related questions. I admired her patience and commitment, because we were a handful sometimes! She's the reason why so many of us stayed for so many years, I think (I could never disappear completely). She truly was the soul of this "place". And she made this community special.

I had the privilege of meeting KC twice. Once in New York and once in San Francisco while I was studying there. Might sound kind of silly but she was the very first person from the Board that I was meeting "IRL" and I felt like I was meeting someone famous.
She was very knowledgeable on all things Clint Eastwood. Very worldly and curious. And she was also quite shy and introverted like me. I always regretted not being more talkative when we met. Then, as it happens, life got in the way... but I never forgot about KC.

I've been away from the board for a while now, although I do check in from time to time (because of the time difference I am often the only one connected). I missed a number of messages sent to me over the years and felt ashamed to reply months later, so I never did. KC's was one of these messages. But shoulda, woulda, coulda's never changed the world... so the best way to honor her memory now is to keep the CEWB alive.

Matt, I am so very sorry for your loss. I never met you personally but anyone here could tell KC meant a lot to you. Your bond was special.
Anything we can do to help, let us know.
Depending on whether or not there's a ceremony, we could buy a floral arrangement or a plaque in the name of the whole CEWB?

[Christopher]

Really sad and tragic news. I didn't have a lot of interaction with KC other than posting on the board, but I can remember reading her posts before I was a member (I joined in February 2002), along with Matt's posts and a few others. Some years back I did ask her about her work because I'd gotten some information about the library degree. And she sent me her Interviews book one time because I think I might have mentioned on the board that I only had one Eastwood book. I just checked my messages and saw that was back in 2013--longer than I'd thought it was.

I know Unforgiven was her favorite, so another viewing of that might be in order. She'll be missed.

[Richard Earl]

I am sorry to hear of this news. KC was always kind and I always enjoyed her knowledgeable posts. This saddens me.

[-satu-]

I know Unforgiven was her favorite, so another viewing of that might be in order. She'll be missed.

I suggested Matt in a private message that we should have a movie night in her honor here. Unforgiven would be the right choice then.

[AKA23]

Matt, thank you for your very heartfelt and kind words. I am honored to have been considered like a "favorite nephew." That is a truly wonderful tribute from the NYPL. It sounds like they appreciated her for many of the same reasons that we did, her intelligence, her passion and dedication to her job, her unmatched research skills, her wise counsel, and her contributions to her chosen community. It is an amazing accomplishment that she worked at the NYPL for over 5 decades!

I was also planning to suggest a movie night of "Unforgiven" in her honor, so I would definitely participate in that. I'd also be happy to contribute to a floral arrangement or other gift sent on behalf of the CEWB.

American Beauty, nice to hear from you. I agree with you that KC was most definitely a maternal figure for all of us here on the board.

[Matt]

I suggested Matt in a private message that we should have a movie night in her honor here. Unforgiven would be the right choice then.

My first thought was a flat "no", absolutely not. Can't imagine a Movie Night without her. I am starting to come around to the idea. Give me time. It's impossible to think of a future to this board without KC. I will tell you this, if all of you want to keep this community alive, we are going to need researchers who care to answer all these Clint Eastwood questions that pop up on the board. Bear that in mind-- I'm not looking for anyone to fill KC's shoes. Not looking for another Moderator (2 is more than enough with a board that has this little activity) but the board is going to need someone who is willing to take responsibility for responding to these many inquiries. In my opinion, that is how we honor KC. I really don't have the time or the heart to do it. I ask the community as a whole -- doesn't have to be one person, but bear in mind that this board may not have a future if no one wants to keep the integrity of this board that KC maintained intact.

Thank you to all who have expressed concern for me. It's a tough time. I do agree that we should honor her with at least a floral arrangement. Laura has promised to keep me informed of any developments as far as a formal service for KC in NYC.

[philo]

Good evening everyone,
I was informed of this very sad news earlier today and have returned tonight to pass on my condolences.
As some of you may know I was a fully contributing member for many years from the boards earliest days and focused on the technical side of Mr Eastwood's work.
Kathie was always fair and decent to me, even when I could be described as err ..... difficult. I always respected that and i feel the respect was mutual.
Her knowledge was vast and she soaked up topics such as aspect ratios and sound mixes like a sponge.
I do stop by now and again but want to wish everyone who posts the very best at this difficult time, the board will continue but a mine of information has sadly been taken away.
Thankfully her archive of posts remain and she will continue to live on through those posts and the continued help they will give to new members eager to learn ..... Everything Eastwood.

Love to all

Philo

[Matt]

I'm glad you stopped by Philo. It's always good to see you.

I have not had discussions yet with SK (he's on holiday) but I know we have wondered in the past if we should keep the board open, with its very small bit of activity. So a loss like KC could be a deathblow to this board. I don't want to promise the board will remain, but I am open to keeping an eye on it. If the board continues to be a place that I think KC would feel provides Eastwood fans with the level of expert knowledge that Clint himself would approve of, I see no reason to shut it down. To use a Clint movie quote "Tomorrow is promised to no one".  So, please... you are one of the most knowledgeable to ever post here, try to check in and contribute when you see an opportunity to share your knowledge.

As you said, KC's vault of information is here. We do need some members who are willing to search information and post (information including her existing posts) to answer questions. Lord knows most new members don't search the board before asking a question. KC always answered every question, even if it had been asked before a hundred times.

[Matt]

And, sorry if I'm going off-topic. This is a memorial thread for KC, but when the topic comes up "how to honor her", I can't help but think that the best way to honor her is to maintain the integrity of this board. If it devolves into a reddit type board, or Facebookeque, there is no point. There are plenty of places (Reddit or Facebook) for that.

To get back a little bit on track here, I've lost so many friends in the past 6 months that I engaged an attorney to work on a Will just 2 weeks ago. It's still being drafted. It occurred to me recently that "tomorrow is promised to no one" and we can go at any time, just like that. I hope everyone here maybe can think of how someone as strong and healthy as KC can be gone in an instant... and maybe take a lesson from that. Prepare for that future. Love your friends more. Love your family more. Treat every day like it's a gift.

[philo]

It would be such a shame if it didn't continue and I wasn't aware of exactly how popular it has been since i left. To me it was always a very full and detailed place to come for questions and discussions of all sizes.
I will try and stop by more, as i said to the kind member who informed me of the sad news today, I didn't leave under any kind of cloud, I just felt i had given everything I could to the board.
I would certainly hate to stop by only to find it wasn't here anymore.

Philo

[Matt]

Here's some information from Laura.

For those of you who might want to make a contribution in Kathie's memory: we haven't yet located Kathie's attorney or her will, so we don't know if she had any specific charities in mind, but I can offer a couple of informed opinions:

You might know that Kathie was a disciplined runner, covering three miles in Central Park each weeknight and ten miles on Sundays. The Central Park Conservancy maintains those paths, as well as the flowers, trees, playgrounds, etc. Their website is: https://www.centralparknyc.org/

Kathie was a breast cancer veteran. The website https://www.breastcancer.org/ is a terrific resource for anyone who finds herself (or himself: men can have BC also) diagnosed with it, or just has questions about it. Please consider helping them to keep getting information out and offering support.

[Sylvie]

AmericanBeauty wrote me yesterday afternoon to learn me the terrible and so sad news ...

Lin who was here on CEWB with me for so many years in the past and I want to say how moved we are : Kathie was and had always been a Mentor here on the board, a fantastic person and both of us respected her a lot, and appreciated her as well. So Lin and I offer our sincere condolences to everyone sharing the same feelings : her Friends, her Family, her Collegues, everybody I think here on Clint Eastwood Forums, the place to be today, for her.

I had the great privilege to meet her in April 2009, in New York City where my daughter Alison and I were on holidays. We had lunch together in the Bryant park near the merry go round, then as a great surprise for both of us, she announced that she would be our "private guide" to visit the New York Public Library just nearby ! We spent the afternoon with her, meeting her collegues, visiting her office, talking, laughing and she showed us so many nice and amazing parts of the Library. We exchanged presents, she gave me a small black and white pictures book about the Library building. A fantastic moment out of time in that fantastic place. She let us at the top of the famous stairs outside, asking us to call her if needed during our stay in NYC, any kind of questions, problems ... she waved at us until we climbed in the taxi.

She was a great woman, totally involved in her job at the Library she loved, that was obvious ! Everyone talked to her in a nice way, everyone was happy to meet her where we were there. Alison and I often talked about that afternoon with Kathie.

I feel happy to have met her once somewhere on Earth, this Board allowed me to meet her, I will never forget it.

Take care of you all

Rest In Peace dear Kathie.

Sylvie, from France.

 

[Matt]

I haven't found an obituary yet, but did find these two articles -- the first is a bit of a tribute in the New York Daily News.

https://www.nydailynews.com/new-york/nyc-crime/ny-nyc-woman-killed-minivan-garage-20210409-jx6uv2y6vjgjjd2oyqzhu2uphe-story.html

I'll quote one small part of this article:

"She was an astounding person with so much to give and so much intelligence and wit and humor," said library curator Madeleine Viljoen, who knew Coblentz for 10 years.

"It's tragic."

I'm sharing this short article as it includes a brief description of the accident.

Woman, 73, Dies After Being Hit By Car Near Columbus Circle