A good friend of my aunt's wrote this in hopes of having it shared at her Memorial. Sadly, this didn't reach my Grama until the service was over and everyone was gathered together afterwards.
It is from Kath's dear friend, Barb Chester. I hope she doesn't mind that I am sharing it now, with everyone.
Although this is a time of great sorrow, I cannot help but look back at years past and smile when I think of Kathey. What a personality she was! I met Kathey just before 1975 was ushered in and like all that knew her couldn't help but fall in love with her sense of humor, her intelligence and her compassion for all living things.
We were in our youth and the world was ours for the taking, every day was a new adventure, sometimes happy, sometimes sad, but the happy days far outnumbered the 'not so happy ones'.
I have such fond memories of dinners at Ev and Clayt's home and when Kathey and Ev taught me how to play 'Tonk' we laughed so hard sometimes and 80% of that laughter was always due to something Kathey had said to crack Ev and me up. Memories of warm sunny days at the family's cottage on the Auglaize and Kathey and I fishing and almost catching a huge catfish which we both agreed we were glad the fishing line broke because we didn't know what we would have done with a fish that was half our size.
Family was so important to Kathey, she had a deep and abiding love for her mom and dad, Jeannie, Nadine and Bud and she adored Tonya and David. She would get a special kind of look on her face when David was so little and he would ask "Aunt Kaffy" a question, there was no shortage of love in Kathey's heart and she showed it to everyone she loved and cared for.
Platform shoes and disco dancing and laughing till our sides hurt, dressing up for outdoor Halloween parties or having our 'Friday Night poker games' Kathey lived with zest, enthusiasm and the wonderment of a child at times.
I saw first-hand how much Kathey cared for her patients at St. V's when she worked in the oncology unit and I could always tell she had lost a patient because it showed on her face. She became very attached to those she cared for, she was not the type to 'leave work at work' she would invite some of her patients who were doing better or in remissions to the house just to visit, have a cup of coffee and talk. Sadly, and all too often when I would ask her how so-and-so was doing it wasn't always good news and we both would feel we lost a good friend. I ofthen wondered how she coped with that kind of loss on a sometimes daily basis. One patient in particular she had was Devon McLoughlin, the daughter Lamont McLoughlin, of one of Channel 11's newscasters years ago, Devon was 25 years old and Kathey's patient. When Devon passed, Kathey broke down and cried as if she had lost a family member, that's how big her heart was.
I don't know why good people get taken away from us far too soon, I guess none of us really know the answer to that but they do, and the empty space they leave behind never gets filled in, it may grow smaller with the passing of time but it never goes away, I know my empty space for Kathey will be with me always, but more importantly, the memories which are the sum of our days is what I keep with me and I know that even though now I can't hold back tears, at some future time I will be able to think about Kathey and the smile will come easy.
Barb Chester
Thank you, Barb, so much for sharing such wonderful memories with us. Kath still lives and her love lives as well! I feel it daily!!
I love you, Kath!
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