Local artist, loving mother and devoted wife Kasondra Kay Johnston passed away last Thursday, Jan. 22 at the age of 65. She was an active member of the community, both as an artist and volunteer.

Kasondra, affectionately known as “Kas,” grew up in Michigan, later attending Long Beach City College in California where she met her husband, Steve, and married in 1972. Kas and Steve moved to Falls Church in 1981 where their children, Stefanie and Todd, were born.

She earned a Bachelor of Science in Information Systems from the University of Maryland in 1980 and a Masters in Transportation Policy from George Mason University in 2004. She worked as a Senior Urban Planner and Principal Realty Specialist at the Washington Metro Area Transportation Authority from 2004 until the onset of cancer in January 2014.

In addition to working for both state and regional transportation authorities and raising a family, Kasondra was an avid lover of art, rekindling her own talents in 2008. She studied with a number of professional artists and her work has been displayed and sold in local art shows at Falls Church Arts, the Torpedo Factory and Art at the Mill in Millwood, Va.

Kasondra is survived by her husband, Steve; her children, Stefanie and Todd; and her sister, Marsha Reynolds and her family in Virginia Beach

A celebration of life and memorial service will be held in Kasondra’s honor at Murphy Funeral Homes, 1102 W. Broad Street, Falls Church, on Friday, Jan. 30, at 2 p.m. Burial of her cremains will be at a later date in Iowa.

Her family asks that in lieu of flowers, contributions be made in her name to charities listed in her obituary on the Murphy Funeral Homes website, murphyfuneralhomes.com.