Kathy Williams Ponder of Wake Forest, who retired from The News & Observer in May after 30 years as a prize-winning newspaper writer and editor, died Thursday in hospice care at Rex Hospital.
Ponder, 54, had worked at The N&O since 1999 as an editor directing coverage of religion, medicine, science, the environment and regional growth issues.
In 2001, the N.C. Associated Press honored her work as the editor of “A Chance for Anna,” a series by medical reporter Sarah Avery. The stories followed a Holly Springs couple through successful surgery performed on their unborn baby.
“Kathy was the best editor you could possibly work with,” Avery said. “She was irreverent. She was dogged.
“She had a really good sense of what was good writing, and she fostered that.”
Former N&O Editor Anders Gyllenhaal called Ponder “wise and thoughtful.”
“Kathy was a terrific newspaper editor with exquisite word skills, a gentle touch and a clear sense of what it took to tell a story,” said Gyllenhaal, now editor of The Miami Herald. “She had such a full and busy life outside the office.”
Ponder wrote in a 1994 story about a harrowing flight to an orphanage in the Russian Arctic to meet her infant daughter — “a little girl who looked like a porcelain doll ... with big blue eyes.” Her daughter Lydia, now 15, is a student at Wakefield High School.
Her son Daniel, 20, adopted in Romania in 1991, is a junior at UNC-Chapel Hill. Her husband, Glenn, died in 2005.
Known to colleagues by her maiden name, Ponder was an avid sports and music fan. She played the trombone and other instruments, and she held season tickets for Duke women’s basketball.
She kept a photo of singer Janis Joplin on her desk and handed out Joplin-themed gifts to reward good work by reporters. They included shots of liquor, toy Mercedes-Benz cars, and a pink feather boa that circulated around the newsroom for months.
“She was a good coach,” N&O Editor John Drescher said. “Reporters enjoyed working with her. She helped bring out their best work.”
Before she joined The N&O, Ponder worked for 20 years as a reporter and editor for TV Guide, The Longview Morning Journal and The Irving Daily News in Texas, The Virginian-Pilot in Norfolk, and The Idaho Statesman in Boise. She won awards in Texas, Virginia and Idaho for editorial, features and news writing.
“Kathy was a pro’s pro,” said Denis Finley, editor of The Virginian-Pilot. “She cared about her people and never let the daily grind distract her from delivering a kind word.”
Memorial contributions may be made to the American Diabetes Association, P.O. Box 11454, Alexandria, Va. 22312.
The family will receive friends from 2 p.m. to 3 p.m. Sunday at Bright Funeral Home, 405 S. Main St., Wake Forest. A memorial service will follow at 3 p.m. Her obituary is online.
Bruce Siceloff reports on traffic and transportation. A News & Observer reporter and editor since 1976, he took over the 
