JEFFERSON CITY — Kathie Conway, a former state representative from St. Charles, died peacefully Saturday after battling brain cancer, according to a post Tuesday on her Facebook page. She was 69.
Voters first elected Conway to the Missouri House in 2010. They elected her three more times, and she left the House due to term limits after the 2018 elections.
Born on Feb. 8, 1955, Conway, of Wentzville, had a “lifelong passion for politics,” according to her obituary, and was “extremely social and never met a stranger.”
In the Legislature, Conway, a Republican, notably broke with her party to vote against right-to-work legislation. She served as chairwoman of the budget subcommittee overseeing the Department of Corrections.
In 2018, she said then-Gov. Eric Greitens should “consider” resigning after news broke of his extramarital affair and allegations of possible blackmail.
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After she left the Legislature, Gov. Mike Parson appointed Conway to the Missouri Ethics Commission.
“She was a steady hand and had wonderful judgment,” state Sen. Mike Cierpiot of Lee’s Summit, also elected to the House in 2010, said of Conway on social media. “We were a better body because of Kathie. We need more like her. A real loss.”
Rep. Phil Christofanelli, R-St. Peters, said Conway kept a blanket amendment on her desk exempting St. Charles County from legislation that could harm the county’s unique charter form of government and its status as the state’s fastest-growing county.
“Representative Conway was a fierce defender of St. Charles County during her time in the Legislature,” Christofanelli said. ”Her integrity and vigilance will be sorely missed.”
Conway was preceded in death by her husband, Patrick Conway. She cherished their many cruises and road trips together, her obituary said.
She was also preceded in death by parents Patricia and Henry M. McCoy Jr.
Conway is survived by her son, Ryan Conway, and her sister, Sandra McCarty, according to her obituary. She is also the grandmother of a soon-to-be born grandson.
Services are planned for 1 p.m. on Sept. 6 at Baue Funeral Home Cave Springs in St. Charles.
Her obituary said donations may be made in Conway’s name to St. Jude Children’s Hospital, Backstoppers of St. Louis, or Five Acres Animal Shelter of St. Charles.
View life in St. Louis through the Post-Dispatch photographers' lenses. Edited by Jenna Jones.
