Hannah L. Kuhn-Gale
September 4, 1999 - May 15, 2024
There are some who bring a light so great to the world that even after they are gone, the light remains. - Emerson
Hannah Louise Kuhn-Gale passed away on Wednesday, May 15 at 12:37 am, in the arms of her family, after enduring 21-months of grueling treatment for a rare subtype of non-Hodgkins Lymphoma (NHL). She was 24 years old.
Hannah was born in Chicago, IL on September 4, 1999, but at only a few weeks old moved to Big Bear, City, CA. At the age of five she moved with her family to Fort Collins, CO, where she was a student at Johnson Elementary, Webber Middle School, and Rocky Mountain High School (2017). She also graduated from CU Boulder Summa Cum Laude with a B.A. in Molecular, Cellular, and Developmental Biology and a certificate in public health (2021). Hannah was student body president her senior year of high school and Globe Med president her senior year of university. She had been a 1st year medical student at Northwestern University Feinberg School of Medicine in Chicago, IL, a dream since childhood, when she was diagnosed with NHL. She planned to become an OB/GYN.
Hannah’s smile lit up a room! Hannah was intellectually curious from a very early age, and had a deep love of science, knowledge, and learning. She cared deeply about social justice and feminism and yearned to help others and make the world a better place. She loved to travel and took a trip to Ireland with her mom when she was 16. She has since traveled to Nepal, Spain (while there she walked 82 miles of the El Camino with friends), Italy, Canada, Mexico, the Bahamas, Austria and Switzerland. She loved the outdoors and hiking and camping!
Hannah loved making pottery and filled her parents’ home with pieces she made over the 10+ years she was a potter. She was also a devoted friend and gave the best gifts. She paid attention to each person she knew and came up with creative ways to show them how much they were loved on their birthdays or special times of the year. She loved board games and was especially skilled at Boggle and Settlers of Catan. She loved puzzles, reading, houseplants, gardening, working out, painting, cooking, and baking and decorating cakes. She trained for and ran a 10K in Chicago, 2023, while having cancer.
Hannah will be profoundly missed by her parents Drs. Jill Kuhn and Steve Gale and her beloved sister and best friend Haley Kuhn-Gale of Fort Collins, CO, her partner Aidan Sokup of Eagle, CO, her aunts and uncles Dr. Eric and Nancy Gale [Chris, Kurt, Michael (Mattie), and Steve], Laurie and Bob Turner (Jessa, Abby, Ben, and Josh), Drs. Andy Gale and Monica Boyle, Tim and Carol Gale (Ciara, Jaedyn, Eliana, and Josiah), Erin Kuhn (Jonathan) and Drs. Jay and Annie Kuhn (Marian and Etta), and her dear friends Katie Haugen, Lara Mathews, and Jonny Titelbaum. She will also be missed by her maternal grandparents, Dr. Irvin and Doreen Kuhn of Yucaipa, CA, as well as by numerous friends in Chicago and elsewhere who considered her family! She was preceded in death by her paternal grandparents, Margaret and David Gale of Tiskilwa, IL.
The world has lost a bright light and Hannah will forever be missed! Her presence is with us in the energy she brought to her life, the people she loved, and in everyone she touched!
Hannah’s Celebration of Life
Saturday, July 27th, 2024
2:00pm
Foothills Unitarian Church
1815 Yorktown Ave.
Fort Collins, CO 80526
There will be time to share during the service and light food and beverages to follow. All are welcome!
Make a Donation
Donations may be made in Hannah’s name to Himalayan Healthcare - an organization she worked passionately with as a student and President of Globe Med at CU Boulder, and when she traveled to Nepal.
