Katherine was a quiet and kind soul.

Neighbours of Martin Short’s daughter, Katherine Hartley Short, has spoken out over the heartbreaking news of her death at age 42.

A next-door neighbour exclusively told Us Weekly that Katherine had built a good reputation in the neighbourhood.

The resident described her as a “great neighbour and gardener,” offered their condolences after the social worker passed, on Monday, February 23, 2026.

“It’s incredibly sad,” said the neighbour, who asked to keep his identity anonymous.

Katherine’s care for her family and home was evident to everyone around her.

According to an eyewitness, she was full of life and had decorated her house for Valentine’s Day, including a wreath adorned with pink ribbons and flowers surrounding a large red heart displayed on her front door.

Another neighbour described her nature as introverted but friendly stating, “She was very nice but this is a quiet neighbourhood and to be fair, we don’t see too many neighbours usually out,” they said, adding that she didn’t throw parties, wasn’t loud and mostly kept to herself.

Reflecting on her death, the neighbour explained that her death was quite unexpected. They described it as a normal day, except that they noticed emergency responders in the area.

“I did see an ambulance and police cars on the street hours before news of her passing broke,” the neighbour added.

A third neighbour expressed similar sentiments, recalling that they occasionally saw Katherine outside her home. The resident said she seemed friendly and would sometimes wave or greet them with a simple, “Hi,” though their interactions remained brief.