Kathryn A. Ringer, 99, born March 16, 1920, in Paw Paw, MI passed away peacefully on November 21, 2019 in Phoenix, Arizona. Kay was a woman of many talents. She worked in a truck transmission factory during WWII and moved to California after the war while working for the phone company. She met her husband-to-be in Berkley, CA, where they were married and then relocated to Phoenix, AZ in 1954. She began raising a family and had three children, Kevin (Christine), Mark (Ann) and Leslie (Donna); two grandchildren, Matthew (Brooke) and Megan (David); and five great grandchildren Kathryn, Skyler, Keiran, Soren and Declan. After having her time as housewife and mother she went back to work as an educational secretary for the Creighton School District from which she retired. Her hobbies included playing bridge, sewing and providing cookies and guidance to a neighborhood full of boys.
Visitation will be held from 6:00 – 8:00 PM, Wednesday, December 4, 2019 with a Rosary at 7:00 PM at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home, 4800 E. Indian School Rd., Phoenix. Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 AM, Thursday, December 5, 2019 at St. Thomas the Apostle Catholic Church, 2312 E. Campbell Ave., Phoenix. Interment at St. Francis Cemetery, 2033 N. 48th St., Phoenix. A gathering will take place at Whitney & Murphy Funeral Home after interment. Family suggests donations to the St Vincent de Paul Society, P.O. Box 13600, Phoenix, AZ 85002, or at https://www.stvincentdepaul.net/give
Condolences may be expressed at www.whitneymurphyfuneralhome.com
Jeff Stevens
Kay and Bill were very kind and loyal friends to the Stevens family. It was amazing to see her out and sharp in recent years, always with a kind word. With sympathy-
Jo
It was 2002 or 2003 when I took a certification class in Phoenix, and Kay was kind enough to let me stay at her home – and even use her car! She was 82 then, and it was inspirational to see her so self – sufficient and able to keep up with everything she was doing! Remember she DID live 100 years because we don’t mark our first birthday until after we’ve lived it. Way to go Kay!
Condolences to all the Ringer family, and especially to my sister-in-law Leslie.
Sharon Fagan
I will miss my dear friend, Kay. As I think back on the years she has been in my life I remember laughing most of all. Sunday mornings with her St. Thomas breakfast group was a weekly event I looked forward to. Those ladies laughed and shared a joy for life! Kay and my mom, Jo Keil, shared their later years together when they had to leave their own homes and moved into apartments at The Village. Their competitive Bingo games, dinner conversations, and occasional happy hour brought much needed fun to their lives. Rest in peace, Kay.
Judy Hushek Lechtenberg
Kay and my mother, Mickie Hushek, were great friends and bridge partners. I would go see Kay when I came to Phoenix even after my mother passed away. She was always so gracious and a beautiful woman. I will miss visiting her.
Irene van der Kloet
On behalf of the family Van der Kloet we offer our condolences. Our Dad (in the Netherlands) and Kay (in Paw Paw Michigan) were pen pals back in the nineteen thirties when they were both in high school. It wasn’t until the nineteen eighties that they finally met. Kay and her husband Bill visited our parents in Europe, and our parents went to visit them in Phoenix. We enjoyed seeing Kay and Bill, and Dad and I enjoyed showing them around Europe back in 1985. In 1998 I visited with Kay and Bill in Phoenix, and as always it was a great visit. I remember Kay as a woman with a good sense of humour and an excellent memory, she was a lovely lady that loved her family and friends. I’ll miss her.
Carolyn M Miller
Kay was a good friend of my mother’s back in the 1940’s in Kalamazoo, MI. They stayed in touch over the years even when distance kept them apart. When my mother was alive, she spoke of Kay fondly.