Kathy Eileen Riggs

Kathy Eileen Riggs (Ball) of Greenup, Kentucky passed away on December 11, 2024, following a long battle with Parkinson’s disease. She was born on May 2, 1947 in Waynesburg, Pennsylvania, as the second of four children to the late Charles Ball and Esther Jenkins Ball. In that era, there was little economic opportunity in Waynesburg beyond coal mining, so Charles moved with his family multiple times to work in construction. In the 1950s, her father moved the family to Kentucky, where he helped to construct the Greenup Locks and Dam on the Ohio River, and in 1956 they settled in Wurtland, where Kathy would call home for most of her life. She was a 1965 graduate of Wurtland High School. Following high school, she spent a brief period in Kansas City, Missouri taking a secretarial course. On January 6, 1967, she married her high school sweetheart Gail Riggs, to whom she would remain married until his death in 2005. Kathy’s life was dedicated to taking care of others. While she held some odd jobs throughout her life, her most important one was as a devoted mother, grandmother, wife, sister, and daughter. Her three daughters aspire to be as good of a mother as she was. She cared for her husband Gail during his fight with lung cancer, and her mother Esther, who suffered from Parkinsons disease. She babysat many of her grandchildren, and in 2023 became a great-grandmother for the first time. She was also a devout Christian who attended church regularly throughout her life. Beyond her family and her faith, Kathy loved old country music, desserts, gardening, and, at the end of her life, watching westerns like Gunsmoke and Cheyenne. In addition to her parents and husband, she was preceded in death by brothers-in-law Jim Morgan and Jerry Lehman, as well as a grandson, Ben Hunt. Kathy leaves behind a large and growing family, including her three siblings: Judy Morgan and Pam Lehman, both of Lancaster, Ohio, and Kenny Ball (Linda) of Wurtland, Kentucky. Her four children that survive her include Pamela Leanne Coldiron (Steve), Polly Riggs Hunt (Wayne Floyd), Cathy Gale “Katie” Bechtel (Shane), and John Jerrod Riggs. She is also survived by fourteen grandchildren: Joshua Hunt (Elizabeth), Katie Coldiron (Juan Rojas), Kara Coldiron Fields (Schylar), Jacob Hunt (Taylor Davis), Jared Hunt, Hannah Hunt, Sierra Jones, Charles Bechtel, Haley Riggs, Ellee Hunt, Kierston Riggs, David Jones, Reggie Bechtel, Zoey Riggs, and two great grandchildren, Lyndee Fields, and Logan Hunt. Finally, she leaves behind many nieces, nephews, great-nieces and nephews, and a brother in law and two sisters in law. The family would like to thank Wilma Montjoy and Angie Wilson for caring for Kathy at the end of her life. Funeral services for Kathy will be held 1:00 PM Saturday, December 14, 2024 at Music Family Funeral Home with Pastor Schylar Fields officiating. Visitation will be held from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm Saturday at the funeral home. Burial will follow services in Riverview Cemetery. Online condolences may be offered at www.mfhfuneralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Music Family Funeral Home in Greenup

Kathy Eileen Riggs

May 2, 1947 - December 11, 2024