Katherine L. "Katie" Somes

May 18, 1985 - July 3, 2020

Katherine L. “Katie” Somes, age 35 of Lyndhurst, Ohio died unexpectedly Friday, July 3, 2020, at her home. She was born May 18, 1985, in Bryn Mawr, PA. Katie loved being an aunt to her niece and nephew and was looking forward to spending time with them over the upcoming 4th of July. She enjoyed the Somes annual vacations including the Jersey Shore, hiking in Maine, and the Adirondacks, cruises, and any other locales where the family would gather. She also loved the theatre, reading and spending time with family and friends. She had an infectious smile and laugh, brightening everyone’s day along the way and will be sorely missed by all who knew her. She graduated from Ohio Northern University with a BS in Biology and was an active member of Zeta Tau Alpha. Katie worked at Athersys, a clinical-stage regenerative medicine company in Cleveland, Ohio committed to developing innovative therapeutics to extend and enhance human life. As part of the manufacturing team, she was responsible for overseeing the quality and control of the manufacturing of MultiStem® cell therapy, the Company’s lead investigational cell therapy. She was part of the broader mission to bring this stem cell therapeutic through clinical trial testing for the potential treatment of indications such as stroke and acute respiratory distress syndrome (ARDS). Katie was an important asset to the team and helped advance the future of medicine to help seriously ill patients. She will be greatly missed by her Athersys family. Katie is survived by her parents: Ken and Laura Somes, sisters: Michelle (Chris) Lewis, Jaclyn “Jackie” Somes, Allison “Allie” Somes, niece and Godchild: Charlotte and nephew: Hayden, grandparents: Daniel and Karen Somes, many close-knit aunts, uncles, cousins, and her rescue dogs: Rosie and Kira. Preceding Katie in death are her grandparents: Michael and Hedy Damroth. A family memorial service and interment will be held privately at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests a donation to the foundations that help advance research and education for the indications the Company was committed to treating, such as the Stroke Foundation and the ARDS Foundation.” ARDS Foundation: https://ardsglobal.org/ or to the National Stroke Foundation: https://www.stroke.org Arrangements entrusted to Brunner Sanden Deitrick Funeral Home & Cremation Center, 8466 Mentor Ave. Mentor, OH, 44060. Offer condolences at www.brunners.com.