Huge loss for family, SAR, sheriff

Madera County Sheriff's Report

(Updated: Thursday, July 09, 2009, 6:20 PM)

Sheriff John Anderson received news yesterday about the passing of Cathy Kern on Monday.

Kern had been a part of the Madera County Sheriff's Search & Rescue team for nearly three decades.

She leaves behind her husband, retired Deputy Sheriff Ray Kern, who remains a vital part of the Search & Rescue Team.

Cathy, 61, also leaves behind a legacy that Anderson says parallels none. The Coarsegold resident started a career in rescue back in the early 1980's.

As one of the original members of the Madera County Sheriff's first National Association Search & Rescue (NASAR) Tech II class, Cathy's national certification status allowed her to expand her abilities as a volunteer.

She was a Certified Foot Searcher through NASAR; Certified Search Management, through California Office of Emergency Services, and Certified Operation Lost and Found.

Until her death, Cathy, a recipient of a Search & Rescue's Volunteer of the Year award, worked countless hours serving on the unit's Overhead Team. Of the many successful missions Cathy participated in during the course of her Search & Rescue career, her work for Operation Lost & Found may be what a number of citizens who reside in Eastern Madera County remember most.

"She was always available," said Sheriff Anderson. "Cathy took her role very seriously and I'd say she was almost dedicated to a fault. She had a profound sense of what is good and what is fair.

She had a keen eye, great instinct. Her compassion for others can't be matched."