Services for Kathy Gebard, Centers for Osteopathic Research and Education administrator, and Bridget Wagner, D.O. (’94), CORE assistant dean, will take place this weekend. The college will hold a memorial service in Athens Tuesday, Nov. 2. A memorial service for Kathy Gebard will also be held at Grandview Hospital Tuesday, Nov. 16, and for Bridget Wagner at Christ Episcopal Church in Warren Thursday, Nov. 18.

Kathy Gebard and Bridget Wagner died in a plane crash Tuesday, Oct. 19, in Kirksville, Mo. The plane went down on final approach for landing outside the Kirksville airport. Thirteen of the 15 abroad died.

The visitation for Kathy will be held Friday, Oct. 29, at Kindred Funeral Home, 400 Union Blvd., Englewood, from 5 to 8 p.m. The funeral service will begin at 10:30 a.m. the next day at the Kindred Funeral Home. Personal expressions of sympathy may be sent to Timothy and Aaron Gebard, 4491 Valley Brook Drive, Englewood, 45322.

A funeral mass for Bridget will be held Saturday, Oct. 30, at St. James Catholic Church, 2532 Burton St. SE, Warren, at 11 a.m. The burial will take place immediately following the mass.

A Celebration of Life Ceremony for Bridget will follow the burial, to be held at Leo's Restorante, 7042 E. Market St., Warren. Personal expressions of sympathy may be sent to Bridget's parents, Mr. and Mrs. T. Welch, 686 Eastland Ave., Warren, 44484. It was requested that no flowers be sent.

The Nov. 2 memorial service in Athens will take place in Irvine Hall, room 194, at 2 p.m. On Friday, Oct. 22, memorial wreaths were placed outside of Grosvenor Hall and in front of Konneker Alumni Center in memory of Bridget and Kathy.

Kathy's Nov. 16 Grandview Hospital (Dayton) memorial service will be held in the auditorium at noon. Bridget's Nov. 18 Christ Episcopal Church memorial service will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 2627 Atlantic St. NE, Warren, at 1 p.m.

“It is terribly difficult to lose two young people who were so important personally and professionally to our college,” says Jack Brose, D.O., dean of the College of Osteopathic Medicine. “Bridget was a dedicated student advocate and fighter for the medically underserved in this country and abroad. She was a skilled physician, loving mother and valued personal friend.”

In remembering Kathy Gebard, Brose says, “Kathy was a truly unique individual who cannot be replaced. She was a wonderful friend to students, faculty and administration and was a dedicated wife and loving mother. She had an uncanny ability to bring people together even when dealing with difficult issues.”

Bridget Wagner was a 1994 graduate of the college and joined the university in 2001. As a CORE assistant dean, she served as the academic officer for medical students in their third and fourth years. In addition, she also was the liaison for the CORE system and its affiliated hospitals and colleges of osteopathic medicine.

Kathy Gebard joined Ohio University in 1989 and as administrator in the Dayton area, she provided advising and guidance for medical students in their third and fourth years, monitored their progress and coordinated medical training opportunities.

Donations in memory of Kathy and Bridget should be made to The Ohio University Foundation and sent to The Ohio University Foundation, P.O. Box 869, Athens, Ohio, 45701. Please designate your donations to either the Bridget Wagner Memorial or the Kathy Gebard Memorial. Their families will be informed of OU-COM memorial donors. If you have any questions regarding a donation, please contact Susan Lash Blanchard, director of development, at (740) 593-2151.

If you have any questions regarding the services, please contact Carol Blue, assistant to the dean, at (740) 593-2178.

“Our thoughts and prayers are with the families of Bridget and Kathy and to all those who lost family and loved ones as a result of this tragedy,” says Ohio University President Roderick McDavis, Ph.D. “I know that our medical school faculty and staff are a very tight-knit family and while that makes this loss so profoundly difficult, it will also be a source of great strength in the days and weeks ahead.”