Kathy Lerner, president of World Wide Travel, dies

Kathy Janice Leer, president of World Wide Travel Inc., in Long Beach, died March 6 at her home in the Bixby Knolls area of Long Beach, family members said. She was 68.

Her parents started World Wide Travel in 1962. Leer later took over and successfully ran the company for more than 35 years.

“She was beloved by colleagues and clients alike for her vast knowledge, attention to detail and courteous, efficient style,” daughter-in-law Lori Leer Gray said. “Kathy really had a bubbly personality. She had this infectious smile and truly had a twinkle in her eyes.”

Leer grew up in Boyle Heights and Ladera Heights. She married Matt Leer in 1996 and the couple shared a passion for the sea, spending many hours aboard their boat, “The Outpost,” which was docked close to the Long Beach Yacht Club where they were members.

Kathy also had a special love for the Kona Village Resort in Hawaii. As the top travel agent for the idyllic resort, she retued often, where she was considered “ohana,” or family, until the resort was destroyed when a tsunami hit the island in 2011.

Matt Leer died in 2014 and his ashes were scattered at sea. Leer’s family performed a similar memorial service for her on Sunday, traveling to the exact same latitude and longitude to scatter her ashes.

Leer died of breast cancer, a disease that ran in her family, according to Gray.

“Kathy lost her mother to breast cancer and over the last four years she also lost both of her sisters to breast cancer,” she said. “But she was never a ‘woe is me’ kind of person. She always had a really optimistic outlook.”

Leer was a longtime member of Goodwill Guild, an organization of community members that support Goodwill’s activities in Long Beach. Paulette Thoton, director of marketing and community outreach for Goodwill, said Leer’s involvement was greatly appreciated.

“We are very grateful to members of our community who offer support because they help create awareness of our mission, which is job training and job placement to help individuals in our community who have barriers to employment,” she said.

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Leer is survived by stepchildren Lori Leer Gray, Jody Leer and Rob Leer, two stepchildren from a previous marriage and nephew Jeff Wolk and his wife Laurie.