Kathryn Currier

Kathryn Ann Willts Currier passed away on April 19, 2021, at age 92.  Kathy was born in Osceola County, Iowa, to Jerry & Malvina Willts on January 14, 1929, and was the oldest of five children.  Growing up in Northwest Iowa in the small, rural community of Sibley, Kathy enjoyed many activities as a child including ice-skating, softball, apple fights, board games, reading, playing marbles, building snow forts in the winter months, creating fun with paper dolls, and sewing.  Some of her fondest memories were spending Christmas holidays with her family at Auntie Ann and Uncle Henry’s farm near Sibley and Easters at her Aunt Grace and Uncle Reiner’s farm near Spencer, Iowa.  She often spoke of July 4th celebrations and the annual trip to South Dakota with her Dad to buy fireworks; they would return home to celebrate and enjoy ice cream with fresh strawberries grown from her Mother’s garden.

Kathy excelled at academics, graduating Valedictorian of her high school class and eventually Magna Cum Laude when she received her Bachelor of Arts degree from Westmar College in Le Mars, Iowa.  Her love for academia inspired her to become an elementary school teacher and she dedicated her career to improving the lives of children through education.  She taught briefly in her hometown of Sibley, followed by teaching jobs in Spirit Lake, Iowa, and Fairmont, Minnesota, where she met her husband, Don.  They were married in 1957 and relocated to Minneapolis, Minnesota, where Kathy taught school in the Anoka-Hennepin School District.  Kathy & Don’s daughter, Melanie, was born in 1964 and Kathy took some time off from teaching to devote to parenting.  She returned to teaching in 1970 and spent the next 22 years proudly working in the Minneapolis inner-city public school system before retiring in 1992.

Kathy & Don moved to Littleton, Colorado, in 1993 to be close to their grandchildren.  Prior to Don’s passing in 2000 (after 43 years of marriage), they enjoyed domestic & international travel adventures and participating in a variety of community activities with friends and family.  Kathy was a skilled seamstress and artistically talented; she applied her artistic talents to oil painting, ceramics, quilting and sewing wonderful Halloween costumes for her grandkids!  She continued to enjoy traveling after she was widowed, was an avid reader and spent much of her spare time dedicated to volunteer endeavors in the Littleton Public Schools, Littleton Adventist Hospital and Holy Trinity Lutheran Church.

In 2014, Kathy moved to The Gardens at Columbine Memory Care Residence where she resided until her death.  She was loved by her family, her many friends, and her presence in our lives will be greatly missed.

Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, her husband, and her brother (Bud), as well as two sister-in-laws (Phyllis & Alice) and five brother-in-laws (Percy, Charles, Art, Jiggs & Elmer).  She is survived by her three sisters (Mary, Ruth & Carol), daughter Melanie Barnard (Mike), granddaughter Lauren Rickard (Steve) and grandson Joseph Barnard (Allie), 4 great-grandchildren and many nieces and nephews.

A private family graveside memorial will be held on Friday, May 7th at 9 a.m. MST at Fort Logan National Cemetery, where she will be interred with her husband, Don, who served in the U.S. Navy during WWII.  Memorial contributions can be directed on Kathy’s behalf to Community Emergency Service in Minneapolis at https://www.cesmn.org/help/donate-now .