Kathryn Elizabeth Altemeier was born on February 17, 1906, in Port Jervis, NY to Augustus P. Altemeier and Edna Nicholls Altemeier. She graduated from Cornell University in 1928 with a Bachelor of Arts in Education. While at Cornell, Altemeier was active in athletics and social activities on campus. She was a member of the women’s basketball, rowing, and rifle teams. For her skill as a member of the Cornell Women’s Rifle Team, she was elected to Dot and Circle, a national honor society for women rifle shooters. She also held leadership positions with the basketball and crew teams and was vice president of the Cornell Women’s Athletic Association.

Altemeier was a member of the Alpha Omicron Pi sorority and served as president of the Alpha Omicron Pi house for the academic year 1927-1928. She participated in the Dance Festival and served as a member of the Class Picnic Committee, Hades Committee, and Sophomore Cotillion Committee. Altemeier married Samuel H. Yohn in 1932. She worked as a physical education teacher for the Bound Brook, NJ school district until her retirement. Kathryn Yohn died on September 7, 2005, in Port Jervis at age 99.