The Tinneny Family History Site
 

Biographies of Our Forefathers

Catharine Marie 'Kitty' McColgan

Kitty was the fourth child and second daughter of Mary Jane Tinneny and John Patrick McColgan.  She was born in Pennsauken, New Jersey on March 20, 1913.  At the time of her birth the family lived at 221 Highland Avenue in Pennasauken in a house that her father built. 

The home that John McColgan built for his family at 273 Highland Avenue, Pensauken, New Jersey.

A close-up of the family, Mary Jane holding Kitty with daughter Isabella seated in chair. Sons John and Edward sitting on floor with John Standing.

 

 

 

 

The McColgan children with their McKenna cousins. Taken during a visit of Mary Jane’s sister Margaret Tinneny McKenna and her family to the McColgan home in in Pennsauken, c.1913. Back Row L-R: Edward McColgan, John McColgan, Margaret McKenna,  Center: (baby) Catharine “Kitty” McColgan', Front Row L-R: Edward McKenna, Helen McKenna, Isabella (“Pat” McColgan.

 

 

 

About 18 months after her birth, Kitty’s mother died of pneumonia and complications from a miscarriage. John found it very difficult to work and to care for his four young children.  To help him, he brought his sister Isabella McColgan over from Scotland to live with them in Pennsauken.  It didn’t work out and the arrangement came to a smoky end.  One day while caring for the children, Isabella put a roast in the oven, put the children to bed for a nap and left the house to socialize.  The roast burned, filling the house with smoke and rescuers had to put young Johnny, Ed, Isabella and Kitty out of the house through the windows.

After that incident John made his brother-in-law, Mary Jane’s oldest brother John Tinneny, executor for his estate, which included the house in Pennsauken.  He then put the children into orphanages, where they remained for an unknown amount of time between 1915 and 1919, and was never seen or heard from again by the family.  His granddaughter Joyce-Ann Roff said she had heard that her grandfather had been traced to Canada where he attempted to reenter the military service in an effort to get back to Scotland.  Mary Jane’s brother John returned to Scotland at least once. While there he checked with family and friends in Greenock but none had information about John’s status or whereabouts after he left the family in New Jersey. However, the search for him was successfully concluded in 2004. See John P. McColgan Mystery Solved.

The children were placed in a Catholic orphanage in New Jersey in which boys and girls were housed and managed separately. Thus, Isabella and Kitty were separated from their brothers and had little or no contact with them. From the orphanage the children were “farmed out” which meant they were literally sent out to farms each day to work as laborers.  At some point their Uncle John Tinneny took the children out of the orphanages.  He and his wife Alice took Isabella to live with them.  Maggie Tinneny and her husband Edward McKenna took in John, James Tinneny and his wife Gertrude took in Edward.  Mary Jane’s maternal uncle, Barney Malloy and his wife Mary took Kitty. 

At some point Mary Jane’s youngest brother Patrick gathered the children form the homes of his siblings and returned them to the orphanages.  When his brother James learned this he and his brother in law Ed McKenna went to the orphanages, removed the children and returned them to the homes from which they were taken. James then confronted his younger brother Patrick, they got into a heated argument over the matter and Jim struck Patrick and “knocked him on his behind.”  Years later, Kitty’s sister Isabella recalled how their grandmother, Margaret Malloy Tinneny, who by then was a widow, visited Kitty and her siblings while they were recovering from illnesses acquired in the orphanages and brought them cookies. 

Kitty grew up with her elderly Aunt Mary and Uncle Barney in the Malloy home at 4519 1/2 Ritchie Street in Manayunk. She used the Malloy name from the time she was taken in by them although they hadn’t adopted her. Her sister Isabella did the same thing using the last name of her uncle John Tinneny until the time she completed school at which time she reverted to McColgan on the advice of Father Grace the pastor of Holy Family Church. Their brother Edward who was raised by his mother’s brother James wanted to officially change his name to Tinneny but was told by his Uncle Jim that he wouldn’t consider it that “every man should have his own name.” 

Kitty attended Holy Family Catholic Church and school from which she graduated with a commercial certificate in 1928. She received her First Holy Communion and Confirmation at Holy Family.

First Communion, c.1919.

Confirmation, c.1922.

Holy Family School class of 1928. Kitty is seated first row far left.

 

From the time she was 13 years old, in addition to her classes Kitty worked various jobs to earn money some of which she saved. While growing up on Ritchie Street she said that she would sneak out of the house through an upstairs window and cross a roof to visit her brother Johnny or to otherwise leave the house clandestinely.

Photo: Front row L-R Kitty, her Aunt Marry with whom she lived and her sister Isabella “Pat.”

 Kitty c.1929. 

As indicated, Kitty had a strong work ethic and eventually worked as laboratory technician and medical assistant at a laboratory in downtown Philadelphia. One day she was looking out the window of the lab and saw a man jump from the building across the street. She said he hit the ground landing partially on the curb and on the street and his head was severed by the impact.  Another day Kitty was working in the lab alone and the notorious gangster Al Capone came in with a wound of some sort, which she stitched. She told her daughter Bonnie that although Capone didn’t tell her who he was she clearly recognized him from newspaper photos and films.

Photos: Kitty at work in the laboratory in downtown Philadelphia while still in her teens and with a co-worker at the laboratory, 1930.

Kitty and her siblings always remained close even when separated by great distances at times.

Photo: Kitty, her brother Edward and sister Isabella at Walnut Lane Golf Course. Ed was home on leave from the Navy,1931.

Photo: L-R Kitty with her sister Isabella, 1930.

Kitty was an accomplished actress in local theater and performed with The Holy Family Players at Holy Family and at Saint John The Baptist Churches in Manayunk and in other local venues. Years later she applied her thespian skills directing and acting in local productions in Arkansas. 

An account of the Holy Family Players from the Holy Family centennial anniversary book, Church of the Holy Family 1885-1985.

 

 

Kitty not only acted in various theatrical productions in Philadelphia and Arkansas, she actually directed productions as evidenced in this news story, The Suburban Press, Feb. 16, 1950.

 

Kitty played the lead role in the Holy Family Players 1944 production of Abie’s Irish Rose. She is said to have been in the first community theater production of that show beyond Broadway. From the Centennial Anniversary Book - Church of the Holy Family 1885-1985.

In addition to her involvement with the Holy Family Players, Kitty was a member of the Kendrick Dramatic Club, which in 1931 won the City tournament among similar organizations, and in 1929 was awarded a cup. The following excerpt from an article in a local newspaper February 16, 1933, author unknown, lauded Kitty’s performance in one of the club’s popular performances.

“Kendrick” Has

Fine Dramatic Organization

Bart A. Hanlon Directs

A Clever Group at

Recreation Center 

Several hundred residents of this vicinity witnessed a demonstration of one of the finest accomplishments of the development of young people which is promoted at the local Recreation Centre, when the Kendrick Dramatic Club staged a three-act mystery play “The Furies” in the auditorium of the community building, at Ridge and Roxborough Avenue, on Monday evening. 

… “Standing out among all others for dramatic ability was Miss Katherine McColgan, who portrayed the part of, “Mrs. Rhodes”.  With every gesture, scornful utterance and indignation, the rise and fall of her voice as she gave her impression of her feelings, Miss McColgan presented a splendid characterization of the part assigned her”. ...

Kitty and Walter Hagenbucher were married at Holy Family Church June 6, 1936. Her matron of honor was Marie McColgan the wife of her brother John. Her wedding band was made of platinum and engraved with the initials W.O.H.  C.M.M. 6.6.1936 Kitty told her daughter Joyce-Ann of a particularly painful experience when following her wedding her Aunt Mary cut up her wedding dress because she hadn’t wanted her to marry him.

              Wedding photos of Kitty and Walter Hagenbucher, 1936.

Walter, born in Philadelphia September 14, 1909, was the only child of Genevieve and Nathan Hagenbucher. He was of German extraction and his grandfather Hagenbucher fought in the American Civil War. His cousin Edson F. Hagenbucher owned The 19th Hole bar at Jamestown Street and Henry Avenue in Roxborough near the Walnut Lane golf course.

Kitty and Walter on the boardwalk Wildwood, New Jersey with her sister in law Marie McColgan to Kitty’s left c.1936.

Following their marriage Kitty and Walter lived in the house on Ritchie Street in which Kitty was raised. Their children John "Butch", Joyce-Ann and Martin were born while they lived there. Her Aunt Mary Malloy left the house to Kitty. In the late 1940s Kitty sold it to the Donohue family and the family moved to an apartment on the second floor of the 19th Hole.  Walter tended bar there and she made sandwiches and other bar food.

Kitty, Walter Marty, John, and Joyce-Ann.

 

Joyce-Ann, Martin and John near the cabin of their Dad’s cousin in the mountains of Pennsylvania.

Photo of Walter with son John and daughter Joyce-Ann taken on the occasion of John’s First Holy Communion c.1944.

It was while they were living above the 19th Hole, about 1949, that the marriage began to fail. Kitty discussed the situation with Father Lyons at Holy Family Church and he recommended that she and the children get in a more wholesome environment.  She and the children moved to a house on Sheldon Street near Ackey’s Hill, near the intersection of Hermitage and Sheldon Streets, in Manayunk. They divorced in 1951.  

As with her other siblings, Kitty and the children were close with her older brother John McColgan and his family. They enjoyed family gatherings at John’s place in Dushore, Pennsylvania.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitty, with her brother John, Dick Steele and her son Butch”c.1950.

 

 

 

 

Row1 L-R: Joe McColgan, Joyce-Ann, Marty, Tom McColgan.

Row 2, L-R: Joan McColgan, John "Jack" McColgan.
Row 3. L-R: Marie McColgan and Kitty, 1950.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Row 1, L-R: Seated Tom and Joe McColgan and Butch,

Row 2, L-R: Joyce-Ann, and Joan McColgan, 1950.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At the lake Dushore front to rear: Marty, Tom McColgan, Joe McColgan, Joyce-Ann, Jack McColgan, Butch and Joan McColgan, 1950.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitty and Dick Steele at the lake in the Pennsylvania mountains during a visit with her brother John, 1950.

 

 

 

 

Photo: Kitty at Dushore,1950.

Siblings (L-R) Ed, Pat, Kitty and John at Dushore.

To support herself and the three young children after she and Walter separated, Kitty went to work at the Anchor Packing Company in Philadelphia. Her daughter Joyce-Ann believes that is where she met her future husband Richard Dunlap “Dick” Steele. He was from Roxborough. His mother taught for many years at Joel Cook Elementary School in Manayunk and they lived near the Green Lane branch of the Philadelphia Library.  

There is story of a prophetic comment made by Dick prior to Kitty working at Anchor Steel. While she was still working at the 19th Hole, it seems that Dick was at the end of the bar and saw her making sandwiches one evening. He told the fellow next to him “See that woman there I am going to marry her some day.” The other fellow said, “She is already married to Hagenbucher.  Dick said, “I know but I am going to marry her some day.” 

When they met, Dick was in his early 30s and about 8 years younger than Kitty. He was a veteran, having served as a fighter pilot and been a prisoner of war in World War II.

Dick in one of the fighter aircraft he flew.

After they met, Dick who had a wonderful voice participated with Kitty in several of the Holy Family Players productions. Years later when they lived in Fayetteville, Arkansas he was active with veterans groups and sang at the funerals of veterans.

Kitty and Dick married in January 1952 and two weeks later they moved with the children to Fayetteville, Arkansas.  Dick’s brother Bob had moved to Fort Smith, Arkansas some years earlier and established a construction company.  Dick went to work for his brother and the family began their new lives in Fayetteville.  Kitty’s son Butch remembered Dick had a1951 green Mercury when they first lived in Fayetteville.

Prior to Kitty and Dick marrying, Dick invited Butch, to take a trip with him from Philadelphia to visit with his brother in Arkansas. During the long drive Dick asked Butch for his permission to marry his mother and of course Butch said yes. On arriving in Arkansas Butch found it was quite different than the neighborhood back in Philadelphia. They visited Dick’s brother in Fort Smith then went to Fayetteville. He got a real flavor of the area and for the first time even saw and repeatedly activated the automatic door at the local business. When they returned to Philadelphia he immediately announced to Kitty on entering the house that Dick planned to marry her and they were moving to Arkansas.  No doubt neither was a surprise to her.

L-R: Joyce-Ann, Marty, Kitty and Butch, 1952

L-R: Kitty, Marty, Joyce-Ann and Dick, 1952.

From the time they arrived in Arkansas the children stopped using the name Hagenbucher and began using Dick’s last name, thereafter they were known as Steeles. July 29, 1984 Dick initiated the process to formally adopt John, Joyce-Ann and Martin, which became effective in October that year. In 1954 Kitty and Dick’s daughter Barbara Ann “Bonnie” was born.

Dick, Kitty, Marty and Butch, c. 1952

Bonnie and her parents in the house on Berry Street in 1966. Courtesy of Bonnie Steele Strode. 

Marty and Butch with little sister 2-year old Bonnie, 1956.

March 11, 1956, after suffering from malignant melanoma for 2 years, Walter passed away from Overwhelming Toxemia at the Wissahicken Nursing Home in Philadelphia. His cousin Dorothea Hagenbucher arranged for his burial in the same plot with his parents in Laurel Hill Cemetery, Montgomery County, Pennsylvania. Although she didn’t arrange for a headstone, years later his children purchased a flat marker with Walter’s name and those of his parents, Nathan and Genevieve, and had it installed on the Hagenbucher plot.

Walter’s death certificate. Ancestry.com.

When Kitty learned of Walter’s death she immediately made arrangements for she and Dick to marry in the Catholic Church.  Father Edward R. Maloy married her and Dick at Saint Joseph’s Catholic Church in Fayetteville in May 1956. However, their daughter Bonnie recalled that they only celebrated their original wedding anniversary date. 

Kitty, Dick and the family lived at 391 Fletcher Street, at the intersection of Lafayette and Mission Roads, Fayetteville from May 1952 until 1963. While living there, Kitty decided that she wanted a window in the rear wall of the kitchen so she could watch the birds and the squirrels in the yard.  The resulting three-pane window brought her great joy since she very much liked to watch the birds and other creatures in the yard.  They also built an apartment in the basement for Fran Haggerty, a very good friend of Kitty’s, who had lived on Wilde Street in Manayunk. Fran had followed them to Fayetteville and lived with them until she moved back up north when Bonnie was born.

Dick, Kitty with Joyce-Ann, 1964. 

Eventually they moved to a brick house at 2201 Berry Street. By that time their daughter Bonnie was the only child living at home. 

The house on Berry Street in 1966. Courtesy of Bonnie Steele Strode.

One of the first jobs Dick had in Arkansas was as superintendent of the construction team that built the Methodist Hospital on Dixon Street in Fayetteville. He also was the timekeeper on the Central Methodist Church, Fayetteville High School and the University of Arkansas Student Union construction projects of his brother’s firm, Davidson - Steele Construction Co. of Ft. Smith, Arkansas. He later served as construction superintendent on the sewage/water treatment plant project the company built in Tulsa Oklahoma. After that he wanted to be closer to home so he accepted small contracts in Fayetteville, managed a Mobile gas station and sold used cars. Dick also worked for the Oklahoma Tire and Supply Company on the Square in Fayetteville. While waiting for a position to come open with the US Post Office he worked at Anchor Paint in Fayetteville. He was subsequently employed by the U S Postal Service from 1960 until his retirement in 1985. 

Dick was very active in the American Legion and other veteran organizations. He was the founding director of the Northwest Arkansas Air Museum located at the Fayetteville Airport and a member of the Elks Lodge. Although he didn’t speak of his wartime experiences at home he likely did with some of his fellow vets at the American Legion Post. 

At one point a friend and fellow veteran, suggested he do an audio interview of Dick to document his wartime experiences and to provide a record of those experiences for his family and friends. That effort resulted in an audiotape, paper transcript and typed account of his experiences during the war.

The following was obtained from the transcript of the interview. Although Dick signed up to enlist in the service July 3,1942, due to a backlog of enlistees he wasn’t inducted until January 3, 1943.  A highlight of the interview project was Dick’s account of May 11, 1944, the day his fighter aircraft was hit by 20mm anti aircraft ground fire over occupied Dijon France during his 13th and final combat mission. He described his thoughts on being hit and exiting the aircraft; being found and assisted by the French underground; his capture by Germans and being transported to the prison camp near Barth, Germany and experiences during the year he was a POW. At the time of his capture Dick was assigned with the 8th Air Force, 82nd Fighter Squadron, 78th Fighter Group.  

Although as mentioned above, Dick didn’t discuss his wartime experiences, on Marty’s 18th birthday Dick stayed home from work and Marty from school and Dick spent 8 hours describing in great detail his wartime experiences to Marty. At the end of the session he told Marty that he was not to discuss the events and definitely not with Kitty. That was a very memorable event for Marty and the accounts were not discussed again.

Dick and Kitty

Kitty was a mainstay of Saint Joseph’s Church, which was founded in 1887 and located at Lafayette and Walnut Streets in Fayetteville. She was a very active volunteer in the parish for many years and a good friend of the pastor Father Edward R. Maloy. He was the longest serving pastor of the parish (1951-1973). Kitty frequently had Father Maloy and his assistant, Father Louis Cooper, to the house for dinner. She also acted and directed plays in the parish hall as she had done in Philadelphia.  When the parish was going to have a church supper Father Maloy would call Kitty and ask her to prepare her usual 40 loafs of bread and a lot of spaghetti, which she gladly did. 

Like his mother, Marty was also active in the parish. He served as an alter boy from the time he was in the second grade until he left the area to join the Marines. He served at Mass every day before school while he was a student at Saint Joseph’s. 

When Father Maloy’s elderly mother moved into his residence at Saint Joseph’s Kitty and Marty helped care for Mrs. Maloy.  Father Maloy gave them each a prayer book.  Years later, after Kitty passed away, Marty who had lost his prayer book while serving in Vietnam, was given the prayer book and rosary that Fr. Maloy gave Kitty. Years before Marty graduated from the Army Amour Officer Advanced Course at Fort Knox, Kentucky. He was the distinguished graduate of the class and the first and only marine since to have earned that honor. For that accomplishment he was presented an army officer cavalry sword which he gave to his mother and which was returned to him along with the prayer book and rosary.

Throughout her adult life the theatrical agent Nibs Costello corresponded with Kitty.  She came to know him when she worked in community theatre at the Family Playhouse and with the Holy Family Actors.  Costello served as business agent for many of the famous Hollywood Stars including Theresa Brewer and Kitty Kallen. He had offered Kitty the opportunity to play the Blessed Mother in a television play.  The two communicated via Christmas cards, occasional letters and exchanged photos.  In the 1950s Nibs frequently sent Kitty newly released phonograph records of singers for which he was agent. 

When they moved to Arkansas Kitty didn’t work until the children were grown at which time she worked in the medical records unit at Washington Memorial Hospital in Fayetteville. She then worked in the private practice of Dr. James Patrick M.D. Her daughter Bonnie said that she could do almost anything the doctor could do. While working with Dr. Patrick one of her tasks was to assist interns from the University of Arkansas Medical School who did part of their training at his office.  When she was 66 years old she retired and to her great surprise learned that she would receive a monthly check of $1.56 from the state for the time she worked with the interns. Kitty was totally devoted and committed to the patients she served while working with Dr. Patrick and they were uncommonly appreciative of her. In discussing that period, Marty vividly remembered the many times that patients would show up at their house with baskets of vegetables, fruit and other home grown and prepared food items, tokens of their appreciation and the high esteem in which they held her.

She also worked for a time as a waitress in the cafeteria of the Mountain Inn near the square in downtown Fayetteville. Although Dick had taught her to drive and she had a driver license she didn’t drive and usually walked the 2 or 3 miles to and from work. After the Mountain Inn and Bonnie’s arrival Kitty opened a child daycare center in their home.

Her son John recalled that Kitty also ran the Gulf Café across the street from the Ozark Theatre while he was in school at Coffeyville, Kansas. He said she regularly sent him food boxes that his football teammates would clean out in a hurry. 

Although Kitty didn’t have the opportunity to see her son Marty rise to the 3 star rank of Lieutenant General in the United States Marine Corps, Dick did and it must have been a source of great pride to him as a veteran. When Marty made comments following his pinning to the rank of general he spoke of his mother and her influence on his life.

 

When she was about 70 years old Kitty was diagnosed with boarder line diabetes. She also had a coronary condition from which she eventually passed away. Her final illness lasted two years. Dick took care of her at home for about 15 months before it became necessary for her to be cared for in a nursing home in Springdale, Arkansas.  When she went into the nursing home her daughter Joyce-Ann made her a collage of family photos that she could see from the bed. 

Remembering those visits, Joyce-Ann said that Kitty sometimes called her by her sister Isabella’s name Pat although Kitty usually recognized Joyce-Ann and talked with her about her children.  

One day her son John brought Dick to see her and Dick was upset throughout the visit about Kitty being there.  Kitty said to John and Dick “Joe Tinneny came to visit me last night.”  Joe Tinneny, Kitty’s first cousin and Richard Tinneny’s godfather, of course was far away in Philadelphia.  Then, when Dick was sitting at the bottom of the bed she said to Butch “I really didn’t see Joe Tinneny."

While in the nursing home Joyce-Ann visited her regularly from Kansas and on one occasion brought her a Teddy Bear for her birthday.  The bear had a heart pinned to it with a photograph of Joyce-Ann’s family.                                                     

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

At Christmas Joyce-Ann brought Kitty a little decorated Christmas tree for her room, which they both decorated. At Christmas every year since, Joyce-Ann takes the tree out of storage, adds one decoration and puts it on her bookcase for the holiday.

 

 

 

 

 

 

Kitty was in the nursing facility for about 9 months.  April 3, 1992 she was transferred to Springdale Memorial Hospital. The hospital called Bonnie who was a nurse at Saint Mary’s Hospital, it seemed Kitty had taken a turn for the worse and the staff wanted permission to put her on a respirator.  Bonnie denied permission based on a living will in which Kitty had documented her wishes.  

As the family gathered at the hospital for their final visit, Kitty could still recognize and greet each of them. At one point she reached out for Dick and he looked down and said “Kitty, I guess this is your last show.”  Kitty past away surrounded by her family at 5:00am April 4th. The funeral was April 6,1992 at Saint Joseph’s Church. Marty delivered the eulogy followed by Kitty’s granddaughter Cyndi singing Danny Boy, which Kitty taught her when she was 11 years old. The Mass was followed by burial at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville.

To their surprise, while visiting her parents' grave sometime later, Bonnie and her husband Lynn realized that Lynn’s parents are buried five graves from her parents.

Kitty’s marker is on the reverse of Dick’s in accordance with Department of Veterans Affairs policy. Photos from Findagrave Website

Following Kitty’s death, Dick continued to live in the family home at 2201 Berry St.  In April 1995, was admitted to the Veteran’s Hospital, Fayetteville in a comatose state.  From there he was transferred to the Washington Regional Medical Center then to the nursing home of the Fayetteville City Hospital.

On November 10th he was near death and they notified the family and the Red Cross was requested to contact Marty who was on assignment in Asia. When attempts to reach Marty appeared to be unsuccessful Bonnie called their cousin Rich Tinneny in South Carolina, a retired Air Force Chief Master Sergeant, and asked for his help contacting Marty. Rich called Camp Lejeune and had them patch him through to the HQ Marine Corps Command Post and requested they contact Marty in Korea, which they did.  

On the 11th, although he couldn’t communicate, the family said that Dick was holding on waiting for Marty. Marty called the hospital and with his siblings gathered around Dick, John put the phone to Dick’s ear and Marty spoke with him. Dick could not speak but those in the room said, it was obvious from the expression on his face that he heard Marty. As Butch hung up the phone Dick passed away surrounded by his children and having heard Marty. 

Dick’s remains were cremated and buried with full military honors, including a 21-gun salute, at the National Cemetery in Fayetteville.  Marty, then a Major General in the Marine Corps delivered what his sister Bonnie described as an eloquent eulogy. Dick and Kitty had completed their long journey from Manayunk and were reunited.  As she did at her grandmother’s funeral, Cyndi sang Danny Boy.     

Catharine was the daughter of Mary Jane Tinneny and John McColgan and the granddaughter of Margaret Malloy and Patrick “Yankee Pat” Tinneny of Goladuff, Newtownbutler, county Fermanagh, Northern Ireland; Greenock, Scotland and Philadelphia. 

Note: All photographs are from the McColgan/Steele family collection courtesy of Joyce-Ann Roff unless otherwise attributed. Some were modified and enhanced by Rich Tinneny.

Eulogy

For

Catharine Marie “Kit” Steele

March 20, 1913 – April 4, 1992

Delivered by

Colonel Martin R. Steele

St. Joseph’s Catholic Church

Fayetteville, Arkansas

April 6, 1992

This holy and sacred ceremony would not be complete without taking a moment to briefly reflect on the 79 years of this woman, wife, mother, grandmother, and great-grandmother we honor and remember today. In trying to capture the essence of her being, the description “totally dedicated and committed to the love, welfare and services of her fellow human beings” might capture it best. 

Loosing her mother at 18months, she was abandoned by her father and spent her early years in a New Jersey catholic orphanage where the harsh existence molded a woman of unquestionable faith in her god and religion, coupled with an incredible resolve to love and care for the sick, the aged and the less fortunate. This strength of character and the theme of service to mankind separated her from her pears and impacted and impacted not only on her immediate family but also on all who came in contact with her. 

Part of her legacy lives in the fact that she she leaves a husband who, although retired, served the people of Fayetteville in the Post Office for 23 years. A son who serves the citizens of Oklahoma by helping to reduce the trauma associated with fire and natural disasters, a daughter who serves the citizens of Kansas as a telephone operator patiently assisting people when they are normally not at their best, a son who serves this great nation by attempting to maintain peace in a world filled with war and chaos, and a daughter who serves the people of Arkansas by helping to bring new life, babies, into the world as a registered nurse. 

This legacy of service in her offspring is not by mere coincidence but because we flow from the blood of her veins, the faith in her heart, and the resolve born in that New Jersey orphanage. That impact extends to her 12 grandchildren and four great-grandchildren. Her impact on others can be best described by a short vignette I would like to share with you today. 

As many of you know she worked in the Doctor’s Building here in Fayetteville for almost 20 years. Once when I was returning from an overseas assignment to Japan, I came to town by myself and, as was my custom the first stop was always at the Doctors Building on Spring Street. On this particular occasion, something seemed different. When I went through her private entrance I quickly noticed a throng of patients lining the walls and the waiting room - but no nurses and no doctors, only my mother. When I asked her where they were she told me, “the doctors were at a convention, the nurses had the day off, but the patients would have no day off from their fear, pain and suffering.” She quickly put me to work lining up patients in rooms in order of their severity. She was dutifully and patiently attending mothers with ailing babies, mothers with ailing high school athletes, and young mothers to be, just to name a few. Most remarkable was the elderly couple who turned out to be farmers from south of town. The woman, at least in her 70s, summed the situation up best. When she learned I was her son, she said, “Young man, Miss Kitty has been keeping me alive for 10 years. I’ve got grandchildren to watch grow up and I’m just not going to miss it.” Her husband, short on words but long on candor, quickly chimed in that he was in great health but just came to town to see Miss Kitty, the Florence Nightingale of Northwest Arkansas.”  When he asked me if I know who Florence Nightingale was, I pointed toward my mother working on a patient in one of the closed rooms and said “Yes sir, she’s behind that door with Mother Teresa.” 

God allowed her over 50 years of helping bring life into the world, keeping people alive, and comforting them as they neared death. He gave us a woman who, for 79 years, demonstrated selfless, dedicated service and love for her fellow human beings. When her own health began to fade and she had to retire from nursing, God gave her Betty Faubus Hartman to help take care of her. Thank you Betty. 

More recently, when she had to be put in a beautiful nursing home in Springdale, the head nurse, unsolicited, described her to me as the most remarkable woman she had ever met and the model caregiver they all tried to emulate. On Saturday, the receptionist at the funeral home volunteered my mother had helped her two children into the world and poignantly described the times she had nursed them to health throughout their young lives. 

In some way she left a positive mark on everyone in this church. Several are quality doctors and nurses because of her example and influences. Each of us was affected by her mere presence. 

I believe it most fitting to close by relating the conversation I had just last night with her comrade for all those years, Dr. James K. Patrick. He emphasized how their practice was a true partnership. How he viewed this time as a time of joy. How he remembered her for three main things, her remarkable smile that positively affected everyone, her continuous return to her Catholic faith when times were difficult, and how there was only one description of her – a saint. 

God has peacefully taken her to his bosom. He has ensured her legacy for mankind will be endless. One of her grandchildren will now sing a song our mother taught her when she was eleven years old and approved just for this occasion. 



 

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