Obituary of Katherine Johannsen

Kay passed away peacefully after a short illness on Friday, October 21, 2016 at the age of 92. Predeceased by her parents; husband Reinhold; and siblings, Joe (Mary) Keck and Irene (Clifford) Johnson, she is survived by her son Brian (Elsa); two grandchildren, Christopher (Tina) and Michael (Tammy); four great-grandchildren, Kristina, Andrea, Katherine, and Hannah; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She Katherine was born to Joseph and Elizabeth Keck in Hungary on June 20, 1924. In 1926, when Kay was two years old, she immigrated to Canada with her mother and brother Joseph to meet their father, who had moved to Canada a short while before. The family settled in Gravelbourg, SK, where Kay’s father had been working on a relative’s farm. In 1929, her family moved to Regina where her father continued to work as a barber. Kay took part of her elementary education in Regina, until 1934 when they moved to the Lestock, SK district, where her father bought a quarter section of land to build their own homestead. Together with her family, Kay worked hard on clearing the land in order to build their home. With very little money, this work was done by hand, creating long, hard days of work. Kay finished her elementary education in a country school in the Clarkson school district. The family gave up their farm and moved into Lestock, where Kay did house cleaning and farm work. In 1948 Kay married Reinhold Johannsen and they were blessed with a son, Brian. Together they lived on a farm in the Serath district and then moved to Regina, so Brian could complete his education. Regina became a permanent home after selling their farm in 1973. Until retirement, Kay worked as a caterer. She was an active member of the Roman Catholic Church and the C.W.L. for many years. In 1998, she and Reinhold celebrated 50 years of marriage. Every day she thanked God for the many blessings bestowed on her and her family and continually hoped and prayed that would continue for her family now and forever. Visitation for family and friends will be held at Speers Funeral Chapel, 2136 College Avenue, Regina, SK on Wednesday, October 26, 2016 from 7:00 p.m. to 8:30 p.m. Funeral Service will be held at Speers Funeral Chapel on Thursday, October 27, 2016 at 10:00 a.m. Interment in Riverside Memorial Park. Flowers most gratefully declined. Friends so wishing may make donations in memory of Kay, to the Heart and Stroke Foundation of Saskatchewan, Unit 26, 1738 Quebec Avenue, Saskatoon, SK S7K 1V9. To leave an online message of condolence, please visit www.speersfuneralchapel.com