Kathryn M. (Wilkins) Rios, 22, of Amherst, NH and Albuquerque, NM, died Saturday, July 9th of complications of Lupus while studying Sustainable Development in Nicaragua. She was the daughter of Tom and Sally Wilkins of Amherst and the wife of Luis A. Rios, an Iraq War veteran from Texas.

Kathy, who had played field hockey and lacrosse at Souhegan High School, was a determined and passionate young woman who refused to let her health prevent her from living her life to the fullest. She was a Latin American Studies and Economics major at the University of New Mexico.

Kathy loved the Red Sox and the Celtics. She enjoyed going out with friends and long walks with her dog. She was proud of her Scottish heritage and her Catholic faith, and passionate about social justice and development in Latin America.

Kathy always loved to travel. She went to Australia as a Student Ambassador with People to People in 2004. After several visits to San Miguel de Allende, Mexico, she spent a summer there working at the Centro Bilingüe. She and Luis kept an ever-growing list of the places they planned to visit.

In addition to her husband and her parents, Kathy leaves two sisters and their husbands, Rachel and Steve Martus of Milford, Becky and Neil Herrick of Waterville, VT; two brothers, Isaac Wilkins of Amherst and Aaron Wilkins of Charleston, SC; her mother-in-law, Maria Antonieta Torres of Anthony, TX and sister-in-law, Erinna Rios of Albuquerque; grandparents, Barbara and Gerry Wilkins of Amherst; numerous cousins, aunts, uncles and friends, and a beloved dog, Sancho. Waiting to greet her in Heaven were her maternal grandparents, Mac and Nancy Dunbar of Hollis.

There are no calling hours. A mass of Christian burial will be celebrated on Wednesday, July 20th at 10:00 am in St. Patrick’s Church, 34 Amherst Street, Milford, NH. A memorial service will be held in Albuquerque at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Heifer Project International, the Lupus Foundation, or local humane societies. Arrangements are in the care of Smith & Heald Funeral Home, 63 Elm Street, Milford.

To leave an online condolence, please go to www.smith-heald.com.