4 years ago

Katrina Darlene Bressler
1971 - 2020

Katrina Darlene Bressler, 49, passed away unexpectedly on Wednesday, Sept. 9, 2020.

A Celebration of Life and Homecoming for Katrina will be at 10 a.m. on Friday, Sept. 18, 2020, in the Chapel of Hillside Christian Church Amarillo West, officiated by Pastor Chris Condit. The family requests friends wear bright colors to celebrate and honor Katrina.

Katrina was born in Pampa, on July 9, 1971, to Laquita and Gary Hurt. She graduated from Panhandle High School in 1989 and received her Bachelor of Science in Dietetics from Texas Tech University in 1995. She married David Bressler on Nov. 7, 2002, in Amarillo. In 2014, they relocated to Albuquerque and God answered her lifelong prayer with the adoption of a daughter, Violet Mila.

She started her VA career in 2000 at the Amarillo VA Health Care System as a Community Living Center Dietitian. In 2007, she began serving as the Chief, Nutrition and Food Services. In addition to her NFS Chief role, Katrina provided significant leadership related to Amarillo’s Patient Aligned Care Team (PACT) and Lean Program implementation. She is a 2009 graduate of the VISN 18/19 Leadership Development Institute, as well as a graduate of the VA’s Health Care Leadership Development Program, class of 2012. She was selected as the Assistant Director of the New Mexico VA Health Care System in January 2014. In 2018, she successfully coordinated the VA Golden Age Games hosted in Albuquerque.

Katrina loved to cook, especially with her brother Shawn, and everything she whipped up was extraordinary! She and Mila enjoyed watching "Days of Our Lives," "House," "Chopped" and other favorite cooking shows together. They spent much time working on a variety of crafts, and she is truly the twinkle you would see in Katrina’s eyes.

She loved going to concerts with David and attending Beth Moore Bible studies with her mom. When Stewart came into her mother’s life, a void was filled in Katrina’s life and she embraced him quickly as her dad. Most of all she loved the Lord and served him daily with all her heart. She was an amazing hostess when family and friends would visit to shop, site-see or attend the Balloon Festival. She gave of herself selflessly, and her kind, humble and compassionate spirit will forever be remembered.

Those who are left to remember her love are David and Violet Mila, of the home; her parents, Laquita and Stewart Labus of Amarillo; her brother Shawn Hurt and wife, Nicole; nephews and nieces, Shawn and Ashlynn Hurt and Taylor and Vincent Fyfe, all of Allentown, N.J.; her husband’s parents, Adolf and Karen Bressler of Pampa; sister-in-law, Anna and John Miller; niece and nephew, Jenna and Shane of Pensacola, Fla.; brother-in-law Stefan and Angie Bressler; nephew and niece, Jace and Kaylee of Amarillo; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and friends.

The family will have visitation this evening, Thursday, Sept. 17, from 5-7 p.m. at the home of Laquita and Stewart Labus, 3819 Lenwood, Amarillo, Texas 79109.

Memorials in Katrina’s honor may be sent to Estancia Valley Classical Academy (EVCA) Foundation, P.O. Box 950, Edgewood NM 87015, or your favorite charity.