Kathy was born Kathleen Marie Wilson on July 3, 1958, to her parents Richard and Edith Wilson. She was the third of four children, preceded by her older brothers, Jeff and Randy, and followed by her younger sister, Mindy.

Kathy, along with her siblings, grew up in Glendale, California. She attended Verdugo Woodlands Elementary School and Woodrow Wilson Junior High. She graduated from Glendale High in 1977.

Kathy struggled in school due to speech and learning impediments, mostly dyslexia. Kathy, along with her sister, Mindy, participated for many years in Blue Birds and then Camp Fire Girls. Her mother, Edith (or Edie) and friend Sue Parker were their troop leaders. During her teen years she was active in the Y and attended Camp FOX every summer. This was one of her favorite things. She also went with her Uncle Leroy to deliver food and clothes on his regular trips to the orphanages of Tijuana, Mexico. Kathy was always involved in projects to help others.

After high school Kathy attended Glendale College. During this time she met Warren Cottom and they married in 1979. They initially lived in Oxnard, California. Warren was in the Navy, which resulted in them moving many times. During their marriage they lived in Whidbey Island, WA, Cape Code, MA, and San Jose, CA.

Kathy was unable to have children of her own, so in 1988 they adopted a son, Scott, when he was five years old.
After Warren retired from the Navy, they moved to Las Vegas, Nevada, where Kathy worked at Nellis Air Force Base. They later moved to Bullhead City, California, where Kathy took employment with the Bullhead School District.

In 2009 Kathy and Warren divorced and Kathy moved to Needles, CA. Kathy lived with her boyfriend, Ken Batson, until they separated in 2014. Kathy then moved to Lake Havasu City, Arizona, where her mother and sister lived.

Kathy was diagnosed with stage four pancreatic cancer at the end of 2014. In her last year she lived with her mother, who cared for her. She passed away at home in the early morning hours of July 13, 2015. She was 57.