Katherine Marie Wright

Katherine Marie Wright, age 90, born April 16, 1924 in Stiles, Wisconsin passed away in San Antonio, Texas on January 23, 2015. Katherine preferred the nickname "Kay." Kay was one of a total of nine children (three boys and six girls) born to her parents, Alexander and Mary Moes. As a young girl, Kay enjoyed fishing in streams with her father in Wisconsin. She also liked taking long walks alone and enjoying the peace and quiet of the outdoors. Kay told stories of the bitterly cold winters in Wisconsin, walking to school in deep snow and carrying a hot baked potato to keep her hands warm. Also while very young, Kay suffered a ruptured appendix. The doctor did not want to operate because he thought it was too late to save her. Her father told the doctor that he had five minutes to operate. The doctor complied and performed the surgery. The doctor quickly stitched the wound, thinking she would not survive. Due to the skilled hands of that doctor, Kay did survive. She would live to marry twice and bear nine children. In 1941, when Kay was 16 years old, tragedy struck. Her mother, Mary, was riding in a car with a married couple near Stiles, Wisconsin, when they were hit head-on by a vehicle being driven by a drunk driver. Mary and the couple died instantly. The drunk driver died a few days later. It was later determined that he had left a nearby tavern just moments before the crash. Kay loved her mother very much, and this was a great loss to her. Her family life was shattered, and her brothers and sisters were split apart. She dropped out of high school in the 10th grade. As a young adult, she worked briefly in a nylon factory where she sewed parachutes. The factory originally manufactured panty hose, but the factory was commissioned to create nylon parachutes for the war effort during World War II. In 1944 Kay married Barney Limmer. She first gave birth to identical twin girls (Kay and Karol) who were born prematurely and passed away two days later. She then had four more girls (Cindy, Joyce, Barbara and Pam). Barney and Kay owned a washateria in San Antonio, Texas for several years. With the money earned from that business, they bought an orchard farm in Oregon where they grew apples, cherries, pears, raspberries, etc. They were unable to make a living doing that, so they moved to California where Barney worked as a car salesman. They next moved to San Antonio, Texas, but by that time her husband was in poor health. Barney Limmer passed away in 1958. In 1959 Kay married Arthur Edward Wright and had two boys and one girl (Lee, Mary and James). Arthur Wright served briefly in the United States Navy and was employed as a civil engineer at Kelly Air Force Base for many years. Arthur Wright passed away in 1990. Kay enjoyed cooking meals for her large family. She became famous for her delicious homemade bread, brownies, cookies, pies and other desserts. She was also famous for her baked turkey dinners with homemade dressing, mashed potatoes and gravy, and all the trimmings, followed by homemade pecan or pumpkin pie for dessert. After marrying Arthur Wright, the family started taking fishing trips to Rockport, Texas in the 1960s. Saltwater fishing became one of Kay's favorite hobbies. When her children were young, the whole family would often fish at the old concrete sea wall in Rockport or the old fishing pier next to the Copano Bay causeway bridge. While fishing on the Copano Bay fishing pier, Kay and her family would enjoy watching the sun as it set in the west. It looked as though the golden sun was sinking into Copano Bay. In her later years, while traveling to the coast, she enjoyed listening to Patsy Cline music during the road trip. When her hands became feeble and her vision was impaired, we would bait her hook and cast the line out for her. Then she would hold her fishing pole and wait for a fish to bite. She was an excellent angler and caught many fish. For the past few years, she liked sitting in the parked car and looking at the sparkling water in the Rockport harbor by the sea wall, and she enjoyed being driven across the Copano Bay causeway bridge. Her last fishing trip to Rockport was in June 2014. At home, she enjoyed gardening, growing vegetables, and mowing the lawn. In her later years, she would often sit on the front porch and enjoy the warm sunshine, watch the clouds roll by, listen to the birds chirping, and watch the hummingbirds drink from the feeders. She was especially fond of her Mountain Laurel tree with its fragrant purple blossoms. She had a rose garden in the front yard, and her favorite roses were the white "John F. Kennedy" rose and the orange "Tropicana" rose. Her favorite fragrance was "Beautiful" by Estee Lauder, and the only lipstick she would ever use was "Cherries in the Snow" by Revlon. Her favorite chocolate candy was Russell Stover. Her favorite poem was "The Song of the River" by William Randolph Hearst.

Kay was baptized as one of Jehovah's Witnesses in 1972. When she learned about the resurrection hope, she was so happy. She cherished the thought of again seeing her dead loved ones, including her mother, her first husband Barney, her twin girls, and her daughter Barbie, all alive again in a paradise earth. It gave her the strength to endure. Her life had meaning and purpose in telling others the wonderful things she found in the Bible. Kay loved many and they loved her in return. Her record of serving Jehovah is safely treasured by our Heavenly Father. The following scripture reminds us of our mom's life course: "I have fought the fine fight, I have run the race to the finish, I have observed the faith." (2

Timothy 4:7) We look forward to seeing our mom healthy, young and vibrant as stated in the following scripture: "Let his flesh become fresher than in youth; Let him return to the days of his youthful vigor." (Job 33:25)

Kay was a wonderful wife, mother, grandmother and friend. She was also a generous and kind person. She lived a simple life and derived great joy in just socializing with family and friends. We will miss her sparkling blue eyes, her gentle hugs and her quiet presence. She will be greatly missed, but we have wonderful memories of her life and love she showed to all of us. Three of Kay's dearest friends are Lucy Mendoza, Rosemary Flores and Zoila Flores.

Kay was preceded in death by her first husband Barney Limmer, twin daughters Kay and Karol Limmer, second husband Arthur Wright, daughter Barbara Dempsey, and son-in-law John Stark. She was also preceded in death by her brothers Bernard and Joseph, and sisters Margret, Josie and Teresa. She is survived by daughter Cindy Keator and husband Terry, daughter Joyce Stark, daughter Pam McMullan and husband Bill, son Lee Wright and wife Drina, daughter Mary Wright, and son James Wright and wife Lisa, as well as 13 grandchildren and 12 great-grandchildren. She is also survived by sisters Anna LaCombe and Jessie Spilah, and brother Jimmy Moes.

The family would like to thank Dr. Kristi Clark at Health Texas for her wonderful care of our precious mother for the past several years. We also express gratitude to the nursing staff at Seasons Hospice for their gentle care of Kay as she neared the end of her life. Finally, we would especially like to thank Diana Rodriguez, who is also a Jehovah's Witness, and staff at Superlative Senior Care, LLC, which was the personal care home where Kay spent her final days. They provided our mother with excellent, compassionate care in a place that felt like home, with wonderful home-cooked meals and clean surroundings, which enabled her to live in comfort and peace until she passed.

Kay will be cremated.

SERVICE

FRIDAY, JANUARY 30, 2015 at 7:00 p.m.

Kingdom Hall of Jehovah's Witnesses

5950 Lockhill Road

San Antonio, TX 78240