Katherine Attrep

Katherine Ann Attrep Obituary

Katherine Ann Attrep, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, died in Santa Fe on May 26, 2024, of natural causes.

Born the middle child to Alfred and Esther Gerloff on February 1, 1938, in Bland, Missouri, Katherine grew up on a farm near Owensville. She was known to drive the tractor at a young age and stories of her experiences on the farm were often retold by her family. The first to go to college in her family, she attended Southwest Missouri State in Springfield. She continued on to graduate school in Arkansas, one of the only women in the chemistry department at the time, obtaining a master’s degree in biochemistry from the University of Arkansas at Fayetteville. While in Arkansas, she met Moses Attrep, Jr. They married in 1965 in Little Rock and soon moved to Worcester, Massachusetts, where Moses had a postdoctoral fellowship and Katherine worked in a lab doing research.

In 1967, they moved to Commerce, Texas, where Moses took a position at East Texas State University. While in Commerce, Katherine and Moses conducted research together on prostaglandins becoming the first to identify prostaglandins in onions. Katherine and Moses had two children, Kara and Jennifer, who were born in Texas.

In 1985, the Attrep family moved to Los Alamos when Moses took a position at LANL. Katherine quickly became a part of the Los Alamos community joining a bowling league and bridge clubs, and volunteering with various organizations. She was also an avid sports fan enthusiastically cheering on various college and professional teams. Throughout her life, Katherine was an active member of the Episcopal Church. Katherine was a devoted and giving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, and friend. Her family will miss her dry humor and generous spirit.

Katherine is survived by daughters Kara Attrep (husband Rob Wallace) of Flagstaff, Arizona, Jennifer Attrep (husband Todd Coberly) of Santa Fe; grandchildren Eleanor Attrep Coberly and Samuel Moses Attrep Wallace; brother Charles Gerloff; and numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her husband Moses; infant daughter; parents Alfred and Esther; and sister Mildred Sassmann.

A memorial service and celebration of her life will be held at Trinity on the Hill Episcopal Church, 3900 Trinity Dr, Los Alamos. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations are made to The Food Depot, Santa Fe, NM