With heavy hearts and deep love, we announce the passing of our beloved mother, grandmother, sister, and “Mother to All,” Kathy Joann Jozwiak-Ball, age 59, of South Bend, Indiana, who transitioned on January 15th, 2026.

Kathy was born in South Bend, Indiana, and she lived her life with a bold spirit, an open heart, and a love so big it reached far beyond bloodlines. She was the daughter of the late Raymond Brock Ball and the late Mary Catherine Ball, and she carried the strength of her family with her everywhere she went.  Kathy graduated from John Adams High School in 1984.

To know our mother was to know what it meant to be real—outgoing, outspoken, funny, and full of life. She loved music, she loved to laugh, and she made sure you knew exactly where she stood… but she also had a way of making you feel safe, welcome, and seen. Yellow and black were her favorite colors, and she wore her personality just like those colors—bright, strong, and unforgettable.

More than anything, Kathy was a community mother. She didn’t clock into a job—her purpose was people. She fed the hungry, opened her doors to anyone who needed a place to sleep, and loved without asking questions. She helped raise not only her own children, but also many of her children’s friends, neighbors, and anyone God placed in her path. Kathy didn’t help people because she wanted something back… she helped because that’s who she was, and because she believed it was what God asked of her.

Church wasn’t just something she attended—it was a way she lived. Her faith and spiritual path meant everything to her, and Spiritual Israel and its Army helped guide her and shape the way she poured love into her family, especially as a proud and devoted grandmother.

Kathy was a fighter in every way that mattered. She fought for her sons. She fought for her family. She fought to keep everyone together. And through it all, she remained the kind of woman who never judged—she listened, she understood, and she loved anyway.

Kathy leaves behind her sons: Raymond Raphael Anderson and his wife Kelley Lane of Mishawaka, Indiana; Kurtis Romello Murphy of South Bend, Indiana; and Gerald Derhon Murphy of South Bend, Indiana.

She was the proud grandmother of Ray’kyla Anderson, Kuriah Murphy, Alivia Murphy, Armani Murphy, Malay’ja Murphy, Avianna Murphy, and grandsons Kash Murphy and Truss Derhon Murphy, all of South Bend, Indiana.

Kathy is also survived by her sister Jannetha Rayshell Gooden and her husband Marvin Gooden of Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania; her brother Tarzan Derhon Ball and his wife Stephanie Ball of South Bend, Indiana; her nieces Grace Ball, Camille Ball of South Bend, Indiana, and Cecilly Ball of Los Angeles, California; and her nephew Carson D.S. Ball of South Bend, Indiana.

She is lovingly remembered by her God daughter Chamara Lacy of South Bend, Indiana, along with many close aunts, cousins, family, and friends.

Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Raymond Brock Ball and Mary Catherine Ball; her aunt Bonnie Sue Brooks; her cousin Vanessa Taylor; her uncle Ollie Ball; and her God brother Jimmy O. Ball.

Kathy’s legacy will live on through the many people she loved as her own—because some of her daughters, sons, and grandchildren were not related by blood, but were connected through something stronger: her heart. She took people in, fed them, cared for them, and treated them like family simply because she believed love was meant to be shared.

And that’s why she will always be remembered as what she truly was:

“Mother to All"

Arrangements have been entrusted to Alford's Mortuary and are to follow.

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kathy JoAnn Jozwiak-Ball, please visit our floral store.

Added 01/24/2026 0615 GMS