Kortne Walsh Waginger

After battling seven cancers with immeasurable courage, dignity, grace and humor, Kortne Walsh Waginger, 31 of Cullowhee, N.C., entered her eternal home on Friday, Dec. 31, 2021 at Moffitt Cancer Center in Tampa, Fla. Kortne was born in Sylva, N.C., in 1990.

‘Tough as a pine knot’

Tampa – “She certainly left her mark on this Earth; as she not only showed us how to live, but how to die.” That was just a snippet of the announcement made by mother – Robbinsville Middle School principal Tonia Walsh – Friday morning. But just that one sentence encompassed Kortne Waginger.