Wichita - McQuary, Natasha, 49, passed away suddenly Tuesday, September 24th, 2019. Visitation 2pm - 8pm with family present 6pm - 8pm, Friday, October 4, 2019; Memorial Service 10am Saturday, October 5, 2019 - Both will be held at Smith Mortuary, Derby 1415 North Rock Rd; Natasha is survived by her husband, Timothy McQuary; daughter, Ashley McQuary; father, Jon E. (Meribeth) Miller; mother, Rose Mary (Ed) Templin; step-sister, Melissa Templin; loving extended family and many dear friends. In lieu of flowers, memorials have been established with the ADA Diabetes Camps, 608 W Douglas Ave, Wichita, KS 67203; Beauties and Beasts PO Box 783001 Wichita, KS 67278.
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Natasha was born on Sept. 10, 1970, to Jon and Rose Mary in Newton, Kansas. At the age of 22 months, she was diagnosed with type 1 diabetes. At the age of 5, she gave her first insulin shot on her own. Her resilience in dealing with her diabetes, her tests, and hospitalizations was something to be admired. She accepted the challenge, and took it all in stride, even from a young age. Her mother empowered her to take control of her diabetes and it led to a life of, "I have diabetes, it does not have me/'
As she grew up, Natasha's family took many vacations to amusement parks, and even went on a motorcycle trips. Natasha attended Camp Discovery for diabetic children for several years. She also went on many ski trips with them in the winter. She attended elementary, middle, and high school in Newton, where she made friends she carried with her. She graduated from Newton High School in 1989.
In 1991, Natasha had her daughter, Ashley. She was a young mother who would do, and did do, anything for her little girl. Natasha worked at various places until she worked at Wal-Mart, where in 1999, she met her husband to be. Tim and Natasha married in March 2001. She chose to leave Wal-Mart to focus on raising Ashley. Natasha also went back to school and received her degree from Hutchinson Community College, where she stayed on the Dean's List.
When Ashley left for college, Natasha returned to work. She began at a local endocrinologist's office, where she worked the front desk. She quickly became the office manager and anything else she needed to be. After that, she went to work at a clinic in Wichita that provided care for the underserved. While there, she worked the front end, front-end manager, and eventually patient care coordinator. She developed many lasting friendships.
Natasha left the clinic and joined the Robert J. Dole VA Medical Center as a Medical Support Assistant. She was promoted to Advanced Medical Support Assistant before joining the transportation department as a Transportation Assistant. She enjoyed the VA and gave the maximum effort. Natasha wanted to help the veterans, even if they thought she was not helping. Working at the VA gave her a sense that she was making a difference. She enjoyed talking with Ed about everything that would come up in her life. She took away many useful tidbits from these conversations.
Natasha was the most empathetic, caring person. She wanted no one person to suffer. If she could do something to help, she would. If she could do nothing to help, she would listen. The world goes on, but it will never be the same without her. Her laughter and smile, quick wit and sarcasm, will all be missed.