Kitty Wilder was a founding member of the development team who created, tested and ran the THRIVE Training as well as a beacon of light who influenced many within the Life Model community.  

Throughout her life, Kitty gave freely of her time to others. She spent years volunteering with an organization interpreting and helping the deaf and blind community. She was an active member of many ministries including teaching repeatedly at Youth With A Mission for over 15 years. Kitty traveled the world teaching and ministering in South Korea, Hawaii, the Netherlands, Thailand, Germany, Ecuador, Canada, Hungary, Romania, Poland, and Mexico. She traveled for fun to France, Spain, England, Italy, Switzerland, Costa Rica, Jamaica and still had a long list of other places she wanted to visit.  

In 2016, Kitty and her husband Jim relocated to Colorado to be closer to their sons and their families. She enjoyed spending as much time as possible with her family when she was not traveling the world teaching and ministering to others. She loved family gatherings and hearing  about what each grandchild was doing. She loved giving her family and friends gifts based on  their interests. 

Kitty’s “family” was formed by births, blending and bonding. Many people identified her as a  sister, mother and grandmother for them. In March 2020, Kitty, after having a series of unexplained fevers and other health problems, received the devastating diagnosis of Acute Myeloid Leukemia. She did not allow the diagnosis to change who she was, however. With new treatments and lots of love and care by Jim, Kitty was able to put the cancer in remission and continued to live a rich life spending as much time as possible with all of those she loved. She even recovered from a stroke and heart failure in May 2021. 

On July 26, 2021, with Jim and her sons James and Rami by her side, Kitty left her suffering  behind and went to be with the Lord that she loved so much. She left behind uncountable numbers of loved ones and family that will cherish and remember her. Kitty lived the Life Model and was deeply impacting people until the day the Lord brought her home. We at THRIVEtoday are grateful for the life and legacy of Kitty Wilder who was a source of life, blessing and joy to this community of friends who loved her. In honor of Kitty Wilder, a scholarship fund has been created so people can attend the training who may otherwise be unable to do so due to limited  resources. Learn more below.