Kathryn was born on 13 Feb 1919 at 406 W. 16th Street, Covington, Kenton Co., KY to William Frederick Deschler and Margaret Ward Deschler. Her father's parents had been born in Germany, and her mother's parents had come from England. Her father was a 'Master' platinumsmith. During her 6th birthday party in 1925, she walked around to the front of the house where her father's Model-T was parked. 16th Street was step, and when she released the parking break the car started rolling down the street. Her father, Bill had seen the car move and chased it down the street, jumping on the running broad and halting the car just before it was to fall into a small river running through town. She and her family remained in Covington until l Sep 1925 when J.C. Sipe Jewelers offered her father a better job in Indianapolis, IN. As a young girl, Kathryn idolized Charles Lindbergh who flew solo across the Atlantic in 1927.

Being a 'Master' craftsman, Bill's family thrived in the late 1920's and early 1930's, but the Great Depression hit Kathryn's parents very hard. Her father lost his job when his employer closed its doors in 1932. Still young, but by the age of 16 in 1935, Kathryn's strong character traits had been formed. Some of them included: a love of family; a zest for life; having never met a stranger, and her general spunk. Due to her family's deteriorating financial stability, she was forced to drop out of school at the age of 16 and was able to get a job at the Diamond Chain Company making bicycle chains, to help supplement the family larder.

About 1936 she met James Ralph Forcum, who had recently moved to Indianapolis from NC. Ralph was smitten from their first meeting, but it took Kathryn a while to come around. Kathryn and Ralph were married on 15 Jul 1939 in Kathryn's parent's home. The young married couple had their family plans interrupted by the abrupt start of WWII in 1941. Ralph enlisted in the Navy and was gone from late 1942 until 1945.

Meanwhile, Kathryn worked first at the Lukas-Harold Corp making war supplies and later at Ayers Department Store.

Kathryn was living on 13th Street in 1946 when she became a mother for the first time, and was still there when her third son was born in 1952. Wanting their children to grow up in a nurturing environment, Kathryn and Ralph moved to 205 Jefferson Blvd. Greenfield, IN in 1955. For the next 17 years she dedicated her life to raising two boys…and raising them right. In the mid-60's she took a part time job to send spending money to her son's in college.

After her youngest son married in 1972, she returned to night school and earned her High School diploma which had eluded her in the 1930's. Also in the 1970's Kathryn became very active as a volunteer at the Greenfield Hospital. With the births of her grandsons in 1978, 1982, and 1984 she entered a new and wonderful phase in her life. Her love for them, which was reciprocated, was unbounded.

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