Kate Yule (1961-2016)

Kate Yule lost her life October 4 following a long struggle with brain cancer. Her husband, David D. Levine, made the announcement online:

Kate passed away at 3:30 this afternoon. I was holding her hand, Sue was on the other side, and my father was with us as well as our friend Teresa E. Her passing was as peaceful as it could be. Thank you all for your thoughts and kind words.

They had been married for 25 years.

Yule found fandom in 1984. A member of PorSFiS, the Portland OR sf club, she served as its Treasurer in 1986 and President in 1990.

She co-edited the fanzine Bento with David, and also produced zines Stuff and Nonsense and Moose Next 3000 Miles.

Mary Robinette Kowal has written a fine tribute, R.I.P. Kate Yule, which begins —

Kate had an infectious laugh.

She would be sitting, quietly knitting on something, and you might be fooled into thinking that she wasn’t paying attention, but then she would come out with a zinger. Her sense of play expressed itself in words.

The cruelest thing about the cancer she fought was that it stole her words from her. Aphasia. A single word to describe a range of effects — and for Kate, it took her ability to find the right word. She was a polyglot and picked up languages for fun. She read, voraciously, and oh– the conversations.

She has left an enormous hole.

[Thanks to Tom Whitmore for the story.]

4 thoughts on “Kate Yule (1961-2016)

  1. I’m going to miss her. I only saw her at WisCon and worldcon, and she missed both this year, so I was out of touch. This came as a shock. Not a huge shock, because I knew about the cancer. But still a shock.

    My condolences to David and the rest of the family.

  2. I am so sad. I did not know she was so ill – I have not been able to make it to any Northwet cons in many years.

    David and Sue – My deepest sympathies.

  3. David,

    I’m so sorry to hear about your loss.

    I remember meeting Kate at Intel once – IIRC we had lunch. You two seemed to be so happy together. I remember she knitted, and of course I loved the little Bento magazines I feel privileged to have read.

    My deepest condolences.

    Anne Marie Merritt

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