Born Kara Renee Cross, she was a native of Indiana. Raised in Ft. Wayne, Indiana, Kara was a High School track star, loved color guard, drum and bugle corps and was voted class clown.
Attending Indiana University, Bloomington, she graduated with a B.A. from the IU school of Journalism and excelled at writing. Her first job took her to Palo Alto and San Francisco. After that Atlanta and Orlando, before settling down in Indianapolis. Kara spent a decade there with her husband Mathew, raising her two children Haley and Jett. During that time she was with Drum Corps International, where she excelled and honed her skills with upper level workings of a non-profit organization. That experience made her a perfect fit for her new role with the Astronaut Scholarship Foundation, at Kennedy Space Center. Whether it was an Astronaut Hall of Fame event or a scholarship program, by the time the event was over, you knew her name and she knew yours.
While her time on this planet was all too brief, she has left a lifelong impact on everyone she has ever met. You would smile as she entered a room, she always knew your name, and she genuinely cared about everyone. Kara was loved by all, believed in karma and loved to follow the stars. Her family and countless friends miss her smile, spirit and her Love.
Now when we remember her, we can look to stars and know she's looking down on us.
