The Goble family's stability unraveled suddenly in the mid-1950s. James developed alarming neurological symptoms that worsened rapidly throughout 1956. Doctors discovered an inoperable brain tumor diagnosis in 1956, and his health deteriorated within months. On December 20, 1956, James Francis Goble passed away, leaving Katherine a widow at just 38 years old.
The grief was immense, but practical demands left little time for retreat. Katherine found herself the sole provider and guardian for Constance, Joylette, and Marion, who were all in grade school. Coworkers at Langley recalled her stoic resolve during this stretch. She refused to leave her workstation, producing complex aerodynamic flight load tables by day and grading her daughters' homework by night. She instilled in the girls an uncompromising standard of self-reliance, famously telling them that while their father was gone, their responsibilities to their education had not changed.
