Kathy Fires, wife of rider, dies at 58

Kathy Fires, the wife of Hall of Fame jockey Earlie Fires, died Sunday in a Park Ridge, Ill., hospital of leiomyosarcoma, a rare form of cancer. She was 58.

Kathy and Earlie Fires celebrated their 38th wedding anniversary last month. They have three children and two grandchildren.

Funeral services were scheduled for 11 a.m. Thursday at St. Peter Lutheran Church on Olive Street in Arlington Heights, Ill.

Memorial contributions can be made to the Disabled Jockeys Endowment in Anaheim, Calif.

Earlie Fires, 58, is still active on the Chicago circuit. He has ridden 6,361 winners, 12th on the all-time list of North American jockeys.