In their first comments since her tragic death Wednesday, the family of a beloved Dublin Unified School District board member called her a “real superhero” and said her “tireless love” was a blessing.
The post on the GatheringUs website, which serves as a virtual memorial for people, also announced a vigil for Catherine Kuo at 7 p.m. Sunday at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin.
Kuo’s family said they wanted to “honor one of our local superheroes” and they invite people to share their thoughts, photos and remembrances of her on the site. The text was written by a person identifying herself as Kuo’s sister, Anita.
In this online post, the family of Dublin school board trustee Catherine Kuo thanked the community for its support in the aftermath of her tragic death Wednesday.
Kuo, 48, a school board trustee since 2019, died from the injuries she sustained when she was pinned between two vehicles while helping to distribute food boxes at Fallon Middle School.
“What does it take to be a real superhero?,” the statement reads. “It takes someone who’s not afraid to touch the untouchable, to love the unlovable, and to fight for the losing cause even if she’s the only one standing for it, until good wins in the end. It takes someone who can be counted on to do the right thing, even without the super suit, and ultimately, it takes someone who is willing to lay their life down for their friends.
“Catherine was all these things and more to family, neighbors, friends, community and her beloved city of Dublin.”
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: Dublin High School freshman baseball player Desi Lopez, 14, holds a candle during a candlelight vigil in honor of Catherine Kuo at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to listen to stories told by family and friends honoring Kuo. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
People gather to listen to speakers during a candlelight vigil in honor of Catherine Kuo at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to listen to stories told by family and friends honoring Kuo.
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: William Kuo takes a seat after speaking about his wife Catherine Kuo during a candlelight vigil in honor at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to remember Kuo during the candlelight vigil. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: Artist Lucas Coughlan, of Dublin, draws a chalk drawing of Catherine Kuo before a candlelight vigil in her remembrance at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to listen to stories told by family and friends honoring Kuo. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: People bow their heads in a moment of silence during a candlelight vigil in honor of Catherine Kuo at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to listen to stories told by family and friends honoring Kuo. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: William Kuo speaks about his wife Catherine Kuo during a candlelight vigil in honor at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to remember Kuo during the candlelight vigil. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: Rev. Frank Choe speaks about his daughter Catherine Kuo during a candlelight vigil in her honor at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to remember Kuo during the candlelight vigil. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
DUBLIN, CA – MARCH 28: Candles illuminate the hillside as people gather to remember Catherine Kuo during a candlelight vigil in honor at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to remember Kuo during the candlelight vigil. (Jose Carlos Fajardo/Bay Area News Group)
Anita Lee, sister of Catherine Kuo, wore angel wings to honor her sister, during a candlelight vigil at Emerald Glen Park in Dublin, Calif., on Sunday, March 28, 2021. Kuo, a Dublin Unified School Board trustee was tragically killed Wednesday when she was pinned between two cars at Fallon Middle School while helping with a food distribution program. About 2,000 people gathered to listen to stories told by family and friends honoring Kuo.
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Anita will speak at the vigil, according to one of the event’s organizers, as will Kuo’s best friend, her pastor, and Dublin school board president Dan Cherrier. Others in her family may choose to speak, as well. An open microphone will be available for all those who attend if time permits.
Kuo was a wife and mother of two who was born in Redwood City. She grew up in Saratoga and lived in Dublin for the past 20 years. Her two children attend local schools. She was volunteering as part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program as part of the USDA Farmers to Families Food Box program, which helps families in the district hard hit by the pandemic.
She also had spoken out against anti-Asian hate and violence at a school board meeting on Tuesday, encouraging those listening to “push ourselves to be better and think different.”
“She came from a family of immigrant parents from South Korea who taught her to work hard and smart, to never stop learning, and to always hold onto faith, hope and love,” the statement read. “She was known for being the life of a party, neighborhood, community and school district and campaigning tirelessly for the cause of the underserved, forgotten and oppressed.”
The family also thanked the community for the outpouring of support.
“It has come like an ocean,” it read, “in a place where the desert of our grief seemed ready to consume us.”
In addition to Anita, Kuo is survived by her husband, William; son, Thomas; daughter, Natalie; father, Frank; mother, Terry; and step-mother, Lisa.
Staff writer Angela Ruggiero contributed to this story.
