Katie Vryheid Family Fund

Whether you have known Katie forever, or were just recently blessed to have her cross your path, you are one of the lucky ones. This page is to honor and celebrate the life of Katie Vryheid.

Katie was married to the love of her life, Rick, a man who honored and respected all that she was and was her biggest fan. A man who would dress up in matching Halloween costumes with her, and in the next moment, wrangle four kids on a camping trip. With that beautiful smile and twinkle in her eye, it was no surprise that her and Rick loved going to see live comedy shows. Her laugh was infectious and her smile felt like a great big hug.

Katie was the fiercest momma bear on the planet, with four amazing children who knew what a mother’s love not only felt like, but looked like. She showed Madison, Rex, Allison and Cheyenne everyday how to be the best versions of themselves and always encouraged them to do their best. She will always be their biggest cheerleader!

If you were lucky enough to have her as a friend, you knew you always had someone who would have your back….100%!

Her work family at the Citrus Heights Police Department will miss her tremendously. Katie became a dispatcher in 2008 with the Riverside County Sheriffs Office and then joined the Citrus Heights PD in 2016. “She was simply amazing and always such a light in the room and her laugh was contagious. She was so involved with everyone at work and cared about everyone like one big family.”

We all have our own version of Katie, but the Katie many of us knew best, was Katie the “doer”. The Katie that would always raise her hand to volunteer and show up for her kids and family. A mom to everyone. Perhaps the best hockey mom ever. Always ready to tie someone’s skates, offer another kid a ride to the rink so that they could make it to a practice or a game, or sit with a friend and just listen.

Katie was also an avid reader. You could always see a book peaking out of her purse, so that whether she was waiting in the pick-up lane at school or sitting in the bleachers, she was always watching her kids out of one eye, while reading the latest hot fiction out of the other eye.

Katie loved hockey! After playing with the Pandora Women’s hockey team, she joined Rick on The Enforcers in the Spring of 2019. She wore jersey #51. Her teammates could always count on her for a straight answer and knew that when she showed up she would give it her all.

Katie attended Bayside Adventure Christian Church, and was devoted to her faith in Jesus Christ as her Savior and his kind works and treatment of others. She always tried to show Jesus' love to others, whether they were a believer or not. Her family knows that she is by his side right now and that they will all be together again one day.

Thank you for supporting Rick and his family during this difficult time.

#sticksoutforkatiev