Our beloved Sister, Mother, Cousin, Aunt, Friend, Kathleen Toennis, has crossed over from this life to the next. After a long second battle with cancer, Kathleen called us to her Tuesday morning. She felt the end was near.
Her family came to her house to be with her that day and spend time with her. Knowing Kathleen as the quiet reserved person who didn’t say anything she didn’t mean or believe, we knew to take her seriously. We ate a meal together and shared family time. We talked with her and shared our love for her. We discussed small things and good times. One of the last things she did that day was to sing Happy Birthday to her older brother, John, for his 69th birthday.
Kathleen was the middle child of the 7 children of Charles and Leone Toennis with Carolyn, John and Annette her older siblings and Pamela, Paul and Roger her younger siblings. Kathleen was our quiet but steady rock of strength in the middle of the seven of us. She was quiet and reserved but always strong in her beliefs and her likes and dislikes and in her love for her family and friends.
Kathleen was born in Miles City, MT on June 15, 1954 and graduated from Billings West High School in 1972. She moved to Denver to work for Mountain Bell as an operator and lived for a while with her Aunt Jenny Glaser. She worked in many other roles with the “phone company” until her retirement from CenturyLink in 2016.
She loved Star Trek, a variety of TV shows like NCIS and Sherlock, and reading/listening to books of all kinds. She also loved to buy gifts for nieces and nephews and the kids of many extended family members. She was always sure to remember birthdays and anniversaries and buy cards and gifts for everyone in her life. She was a generous and humble person but also very strong.
At 11:20pm October 2nd, 2018, true to her word, she was ready. She passed with Connie Toennis and Annette Toennis by her side holding and comforting her as she let go of her burdens. She has gone on ahead of us to be with Mom, Dad, and cousin, Laura Glaser.
We love you and miss you Kathleen; our sister, cousin, aunt, friend, mother of beloved son Andrew. We will always remember you and cherish all you did in this life that so enriched our lives.
It is with deepest sympathy that we are losing a kind, generous woman like Kathleen.
Kathleen was a loving, giving person. She raised a son, Andrew, who grew up to be a wonderful man…full of love and gentleness.
She had a surprising ability to remember peoples’ birthdays, even when she hadn’t seen them in years. This is telling about how caring she was.
She will be missed. Kathleen, I am glad you are no longer in pain. I know you will be with the other angels in heaven.