Katherine Nixon is a city of Virginia Beach public works employee who was fatally shot when a co-worker opened fire at their Municipal Center office on May 31. Nixon was killed along with 10 co-workers and a contractor who was in the office to get a permit, authorities say. The gunman was killed by police.
Kate Nixon was 42 and was a civil engineer in Virginia Beach for more than 10 years. She was born Katherine Lusich on September 7, 1976, in California. She is survived by her husband, Jason Nixon, and their three daughters, along with her parents and siblings. You can read about the other 11 victims of the mass shooting here.
Katherine Nixon Had Worked as the Regulatory Compliance Manager for the City of Virginia Beach Since 2009
Katherine Nixon.
Katherine Lusich Nixon was originally from Bakersfield, California. She graduated from California State University Chico in 2003 with a civil engineering degree, according to her Linkedin profile. After college, Nixon worked as a project manager at Choctaw Engineering.
Nixon began working at the City of Virginia Beach as a regulatory compliance manager in September 2009.
Her co-worker, Brent Werlein, wrote on Facebook, “She was (a) smart caring person who I could talk to at any time. A sister and a supervisor. We could share crazy things that our kids would do and say, and tease each other about the goofiness of the tantrums kids can throw. She was a supervisor everyone would want, tough on you when you needed it, pushed you as you needed it, discipline you as needed, and also compassionate. She was someone who truly understood the work-life balancing act everyone has to do.”
Werlein added, “The hardest thing about all of this is I would have been right there in it, had my daycare not been closed for the day. I left at 2:15 from Kates office to pick up my son from school. My last words to her where ‘see you monday.'”
She & Her Husband Were Married in 2000 & They Lived Together With Their 3 Young Daughters in Virginia Beach
Kate Nixon with her husband and daughters.
Kate Nixon and her husband, Jason Nixon, had been married since 2000, according to her Facebook page. They have three young daughters together, ages 1, 6 and 12. Jason Nixon is a Virginia Beach native and works as a realtor.
“My heart is broken. My oldest niece Kate Lusich Nixon was killed by a co worker yesterday in Virginia Beach. She was a civil engineer working for the City of Virginia Beach. She leaves her husband Jason Nixon & 3 beautiful daughters for us to help through this difficult time,” her uncle, Tom Dandy, wrote on Facebook.
A friend wrote a touching tribute to Katherine Nixon on Facebook:
Today I want to celebrate Kate. A client, a friend, a mom of three and a fellow food enthusiast. I have been to many a local restaurant with her, introducing her to Indian curries, exploring Mexican and Italian cuisine together. We have giggled over nail art and have rolled our sleeves up over regulatory compliance analytics and dashboards. We have presented at national conferences together. But today, I live to eat breakfast with my family, and hug my kids and husband. Kate cannot.
Kate Nixon lost her life to the mass shooting that occurred at the Virginia Beach municipal offices yesterday. Others who Aditya and I have worked with have been killed or have been injured. My heart goes out to Kate’s family, and the families, colleagues and friends of those that were impacted by this horrific crime. My heart also goes out to the suspect, who I also know, who succumbed to this tragedy. No one should ever feel so alone or so desperate that they resort to these kinds of senseless and heinous actions.
But I will not stop with thoughts and prayers. I commit to doing my bit for gun control. I commit to checking in on myself and my coworkers regularly on the state of our mental health – and commit to not internalizing everyday irritations that cause stress and anxiety. I commit to rallying with my office, school and local communities to support and raise funds for the families of those impacted, and for safety in our community. I also commit to live life a little larger everyday with my friends and family. Because you never know when that life will tragically and suddenly come to a stand still.
Darrell Wentworth, the deacon at the Catholic Church attended by Kate Nixon and her family, wrote on Facebook, “Please pray for the repose of the soul of Kate Nixon who was murdered by an employee in Virginia Beach this afternoon. The gunman left Jason without a wife and their three girls without a mother! Eternal rest grant unto her oh LORD and let perpetual light shine upon her! Jason and I prayed the divine mercy chaplet just before we were notified that she was in fact dead.”
READ NEXT: These Are the Names, Stories & Photos of the Other 11 Virginia Beach Victims