Kathleen A. Henry, age 86, passed away Sunday, March 3, 2024 in Hastings, Minnesota.
Kathleen Ann (Kasel) Henry was born in Hastings, MN on September 17th, 1937 to parents George Kasel and Katherine (Zeien) Kasel. The family consisted of 6 children, She was the only daughter. She was married in 1954 to Donald Ervin Henry, who preceded her in death after 46 years of marriage.
Like her mother, Kathleen became a talented seamstress for many brides and bridesmaids. Her tailoring skills became known amongst Hastings residents and local clothing stores. But this was not all that Kathleen accomplished. She could be considered the first DYI’er. If a chair or couch needed reupholstering, she could do that. She designed and helped build her and Donny’s forever home. And when a bookshelf was needed in the kitchen, she took it upon herself to build one. Not only did she paint and wallpaper her own home, she was hired to apply these skill sets in other peoples homes, and passed the skills, like her mother before her, to her kids. She could whip up a wedding, birthday, Easter or any other special occasion cake, with her final masterpiece being the wedding cake for her granddaughter. Her family and friends enjoyed her fabulous cooking and baking. German potato salad and sour cream raisin pie were potluck favorites. Her decades-old KitchenAid mixer is a thing of legend. Don’t forget the lefse! A traditional Norwegian flat bread, difficult to make but she met the challenge.
A Hawaiian trip was given to her and Don which led them to vacation for a month on the island of Oahu for 30 years. Even after her husband’s death, her love of the island sent her back for several years.
She was a dedicated blood donor and volunteered at the Regina Hospital Gift Shop.
In the day, when the Minnesota Twins were hot, Kathleen enjoyed watching them on TV and attended a few games. Other sports she enjoyed were fishing, bowling.
Kathleen loved puzzles of all kinds. Crossword was a lifetime favorite and most recently jigsaw puzzles. They were sent to her on a regular basis and 22 had been completed within the past few months. One was on her dining room table partially assembled at the time of her death.
She is preceded in death by her husband, Donald, her parents George and Katherine, step-father Joe Weiler, brothers George, William, Bernard & Lawrence, daughter-in-law Kathy, and special friend Frank Ruberto.
Kathleen is survived by her loving family, daughters Vickie Haugen (Dean) and Lou Ann Sondag (Sid), son David Henry, grandchildren Melissa Stokes (Joshua) and Michael Schaffer (Kevin), and great grandchildren Caleb Stokes, Angela Stokes, Haylen Schaffer and brother Paul Kasel.
A prayer service will be held on Saturday, March 23 at 11 a.m. at Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel 3075 Vermillion Street Hastings, MN, 55033.A Celebration of Life will follow the service with burial at 2 p.m. at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Cemetery. Given her long love of the Hawiian islands, guests are welcome to dress in the style of the Islands.
In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that memorials be directed to either the American Heart Association - heart.org/en/about-us/contact-us
American Red Cross - redcross.org/donate/donation
Arrangements are being completed by Starkson Family Life Celebration Chapel of Hastings.
