Teresa Drollman presented a tribute to her Mom, Katherine Kunkel.  This is the text of the presentation.

Praising God for Mom’s Life (April 22, 2021).

Hi, I’m Teresa…this is Mike…and YOU…are WONDERFUL!

On behalf of the entire Kunkel family, thank you so much for your presence here this afternoon, to honor our Mom, Grandma, Great-Grandma, Auntie, and friend. Thank you for taking time off from work, traveling from afar, and setting aside your plans to be here with us. I’d like to give special recognition to Court Wenatchee, Catholic Daughters of America, of which Mom was a member for about 70 years, and also her beloved Secular Carmelite community from Okanogan.

Several of you have remarked that you saw Mom and Dad at every funeral from the ‘80’s on, until Dad’s passing in 2006. Why did they go to so many funerals?

Sure, the Church teaches us to pray for the dead, no matter how holy we think they are, but even more, I think we find real peace, real hope and consolation in praising the God Who made our Mom, Who animated her whole existence, and Who is now the source of her joy for all eternity. We want to give our loving Father the most honor and glory possible, in gratitude for all the ways He has always watched over Mom and provided for her, over the course of her 95 years.

Mom was born in Seattle, WA, March 8th, 1926, to John Aloysius and Katherine Magdalena (Hoeppner) Duane. Mom was the second of five children, and the apple of her father’s eye. Her only sister was born three months after their father’s untimely death, when Katherine was only ten years old. The survival of her family during those Depression years was due in large part to the support of the close-knit community of St. Theresa Parish in Seattle’s Madrona district.

Katherine was a tomboy as a child, and known as the fastest runner in the neighborhood, and one of the first-picked for baseball games. She excelled at basketball, loved swimming, and had a lifelong love of all sports. She was still doing cartwheels at age 58! Katherine was so precocious she skipped first grade, but ever after always felt as if she was struggling to keep up. She got excellent grades but did not enjoy school. She also confided that when she was about 10, she liked to sneak out on Tuesday nights to the movies, because they were only a dime! She was a gifted lyric soprano, and sang solo from an early age.

Our loving Father watched over His precious Katherine. He gave her full tuition from   St. Theresa Parish to attend Holy Names Academy. Her favorite memory of Holy Names was participating in sports – basketball and volleyball - and singing with the Cecilians.

God delighted in Katherine as she gave herself completely to Him, for 3 years, as Sister Barbara of the Blessed Sacrament, a cloistered Carmelite nun. Little did Mom know that she was being given a rock-solid foundation for her real vocation – raising a family!

Our Abba Father watched over her… and grieved for her… during her mental breakdown and electroshock therapy at age 20. She always had a heart for those who suffered depression or mental illness.

He watched over her as she recuperated in Wenatchee, became a nurse’s aide at Julia Brenner’s nursing home, and He gave her Leo, the love of her life. He watched over her as she gave birth to 9 living and 2 miscarried children. He watched over her as she poured herself out on family and church and school.

She was an accomplished woman, the quintessential wife, mother and homemaker. She baked 6 loaves of fresh bread weekly, and her cinnamon rolls and fruit pies were legendary. Other foods we loved were her Topsy Turvy peach cobbler and the Pink Stuff, a jello salad with her beloved cottage cheese. She was crazy about cottage cheese, and liked to put it in her soup. When she was still in the convent, her Superior chided her about doing too much penance, when she saw cottage cheese in Mom’s soup. “Oh no, Reverend Mother, it’s GOOD!”

Every summer she canned hundreds of quarts of peaches, pears, apricots and cherries from the family orchard, and she also sewed 21 white shirts for her seven sons to wear as part of their school uniform for the coming year. Mom also gave her seven sons the “infamous” butch haircuts - quick and easy, right? - until they were 13 or 14, developed their own sense of style, and started saving their money for barbershop haircuts.

Mom also kept the books for Kunkel’s Welding Service and helped run the family orchard. She wrote countless letters to her four sons in the seminary and to all of her grown children away from home, always thinking of her kids.

Mom would ring her cowbell and cheer, “Go, go, Wenatchee!! Go, go!!” till she was hoarse, at her children’s sporting events, especially hockey games and swim meets, and later on she still enjoyed getting out to see her great-grandson’s T-ball games in the spring.

Although she was vigorously engaged at home, Katherine always found time to contribute to the community. She and Leo presided over the St. Joseph’s School Parents’ Club for several years – nine of us kids were educated there between 1956 – 1980.

Katherine was in high demand as a soloist for weddings and funerals throughout the area. I don’t know how many people have told me, “Your Mom sang at our wedding!” However, she preferred funerals to weddings, because she felt she could comfort people with her voice.

Katherine sang with Sweet Adelines and was active with Music Theater of Wenatchee during the 1960’s, playing the understudy to Anna in The King and I, and to Mother Superior (of course!) in The Sound of Music, among others.

Later, she held a position on the Chelan County Republican Party Executive Board, having served actively in some capacity for over 15 years. Mom was also involved in establishing Greater Wenatchee Area Human Life and Birthright in the late 70’s and early ‘80’s. They are currently known as Wenatchee Right to Life and Life Choices of Wenatchee Valley. In her late 80’s, Mom was a frequent volunteer for 40 Days for Life. Katherine leaves a rich legacy in the growth and vitality of these important community organizations.

Katherine has been a member of this church since 1947, she sang in the choir until 1981, and attended daily Mass for decades. She kept her weekly Adoration Hour from 1990 until COVID-19.

Mom was a Third Order Franciscan for many years, then became an Oblate of Wisdom for another decade. As I mentioned earlier, Katherine was a Catholic Daughter for nearly 70 years, and at age 93, she decided to do something new: she became a Secular Carmelite, coming full circle back to her original Carmelite roots. She had a beautiful habit of bowing her head whenever she heard the Holy Name of Jesus.

Katherine took up painting in oils and acrylics at mid-life – thanks to Steve and Marile! - and she created 93 beautiful landscapes and still lifes over the course of twenty years. She also took great delight in creating nearly 3500 knit hats on a loom for our Knit and Crochet Group and the Wenatchee Hat Project.

All you kids, grandkids and great-grandkids, all of you with artistic, musical, dramatic and athletic gifts, thank God that you’ve been given a share of Grandma’s gifted genes!

Mom’s travels took her to Italy, Hawaii, Washington, DC, and Guatemala to visit her kids who lived there. In 1990, she and Dad took a trip back to their “family roots” in Minnesota and Iowa. She also cruised the Inside Passage with Dad to celebrate their 50th wedding anniversary.

Katherine enjoyed a good laugh, and at times would laugh until she couldn’t stop, infecting everyone in the room as well. Of course, she was married to Leo, the ultimate prankster, who always had us in stitches!

More fun facts about Mom: she loved color! She used to have collections of hats, shoes, gloves and coordinating accessories for every outfit. In her later years, she always wore red on Fridays in honor of the Sacred Heart, and blue on Saturdays for our Blessed Mother. It also really helped her remember what day of the week it was!

Mom sewed much of our clothing into the late 70’s and 80’s, then switched to crocheting afghans. In the ‘50’s, she made all of us crocheted slippers that featured really comfy elk leather soles from the tanned elk hides Dad provided after his hunting trips in the fall.

Mom had a sense of humor that popped out when you least expected it. Several weeks ago, Mark, the hospice social worker, stopped by to visit and said, “You look great today!” Mom whipped right back: “Only today?”

About 8 days before she died, it became a great effort to speak, so Mom resorted to sign language. One finger up meant “Cookie!” Those strawberry sugar wafers from Isaac were just the ticket. “Keep giving me cookies till I’ve had enough.”

Our Abba Father watched over Mom during all the trials of raising 9 teenagers, and then Pat’s tragic suicide at age 21. She became a source of consolation for many other mothers, who sought her out when they too lost a child in this horrible way.

God watched over our sweet Mom during the vulnerable, uncertain decades of old age, when her Leo died, when she broke up housekeeping, sold her home of 58 years, and lived alone in a condo for 7 months. He watched over her for 3 years at Highgate, and finally, He brought her home to me and Mike.  He continued to watch over her with us, and when she broke her leg in 2017, He was with her through nearly 4 months of rehab at Cashmere Convalescent, the only place around which allowed one of us to stay with her during the long ordeal of healing and learning to walk again.

God watched over her when we thought we would have to move – He showed us a way to buy our home and stay put! He watched over her when we needed a new car to transport her, and gave us an incredible vehicle, the very first car we saw, in answer to our online “search”.

He watched over her during COVID-19, and kept her safe at home. When she broke her second lumbar vertebra again last year, He took away her pain after only 60 hours – not the extremely painful six month recovery she experienced the first time.

God even blessed Mom with a mobility van, equipped with an automatic ramp so she never had to get in and out of her wheelchair again, to get out and about. Her favorite request, once we had that van, was: “Can we go for a ride?”

Mom got her terminal diagnosis on March 22, the birthday of our dear brother Pat, which kind of softened the blow for the rest of us. We felt connected to him and that she would see him soon. The next night we had Chinese take-out. Mike and I got the usual crumby fortunes in our fortune cookies, but Mom’s actually said, “Your future is as boundless as the lofty heaven!”

Mom went Home exactly three weeks later, on April 12, which was the 15th anniversary of our Dad’s funeral and burial, AND the birthday of their first great-grandson!

ALL these good things our loving Father did to watch over and care for His beloved Katherine! For her part, Mom gave God EVERY thing she had -  with her whole heart,   above and beyond, and no skimping!

Katherine is survived by 8 children: me and Mike, here in Wenatchee; Joe at Omak; John and Anne in San Diego, CA, Steve and Marile of  Wenatchee,  Paul and Mirna in Seattle, Tom and Paula at Chelan, Andy and Diane of East Wenatchee, and Mary Hunt and Lester Brown of Marshfield, MO; 27 grandchildren and 20 great-grandchildren; and a host of nieces, nephews, and friends. 

Katherine was the last of her generation on both sides of our family; she was preceded in death by her parents and all her siblings; her husband of 57 years, Leo, and all his siblings; her son Patrick; and her great-granddaughter, Raven Drollman. Because Leo and Katherine Kunkel loved each other, 56 people were given the gift of life.

Special thanks to Wenatchee Hospice and Angela of Visiting Angels, for your devoted care during the last weeks of Mom’s life, and to Beta Modic, for crafting the beautiful funeral folders and holy cards. And a huge thanks to an anonymous donor, who wanted to give us all the “gift of beauty”, by providing such gorgeous flowers to honor Mom and the God who made her. Finally, our deepest thanks to Fr. Peter, Fr. Osmar, Monsignor Siler, Fr. Kerr, Fr. Argemiro and Fr. Taneo for your love and care for our Mom and for concelebrating this funeral Mass.

There will be a RECEPTION following the graveside service.

Because we are still in COVID time, it is with much regret that we must limit the reception to family and close friends.

It's at Andy and Diane Kunkel's home, 2260 8th Street SE, East Wenatchee, WA. Masks will be worn and social distancing will be observed.

Thanks again for being here to offer our family the great gift of your comfort, prayers, presence and consolation.

Any others who would like to share special memories of Katherine are welcome to come forward at this time…