Kathleen A. Muhr

Kathleen Muhr and her family moved to Arlington Heights in 1964. Over the course of the nearly 50 years she lived there, Kathleen raised five children, helped run a successful antique business with her husband, and was a very active member of her parish, St. James Catholic Church in Arlington Heights. But, more than that, Kathy - as friends knew her - lived her life as a warm and loving person who treated strangers like family, always opening her home to others - several times literally as she took in foreign exchange students and Indian missionaries to live with their family. Kathy, 77, died in her home Sept. 1 after a year-long battle with cancer. Born in a two bedroom house without indoor plumbing in the town of Varina, IA, Kathy Griffin was the youngest of Gerald Griffin and Magdalen Schwiderski's 10 children. Her five brothers, four sisters and parents moved to Chicago in 1942 to find a better life and it was there that she met and married her husband, Bill. Kathy was a constant figure around Arlington Heights, scurrying to garage sales in the morning to find items for the antique business, helping neighbors pick up their children from school, volunteering at St. James School and church functions, visiting the sick at Northwest Community Hospital and meeting friends for coffee at the Dunton House restaurant. A devout Catholic, Kathy served in numerous capacities at St. James, including ministering to families who experienced a death, participating as a Eucharistic minister at church services, helping in the production of the church's annual theater production and starting and operating a gift shop for the parish called the Holy Cow. In addition to her work at St. James, Kathy was involved in the Catholic Charismatic Renewal movement, including serving as a member of the St. Theresa Catholic Charismatic Renewal prayer group in Palatine and as a service team member of the Archdiocesan Catholic Charismatic Renewal Center of Chicago. In April, St. James Parish named Kathy its "Woman of the Year." "Kathy is a woman filled with much gratitude for all of the blessings in her life, and we, at St. James, are also grateful for her presence and many, many years of faithful service to the people of St. James, " Marianne Dilsner, pastoral associate for the church wrote in the parish's bulletin. Kathy had a life-long passion for playing cards and traveling. But, above all, Kathy loved God and her family. Kathleen was married to Bill for 48 years until his death in 2005. She is survived by her five children, Kevin, Michael, Mary Scott (husband Greg), JoAnne Mullen-Muhr (husband Mark), and Bill (wife Chris) and 12 grandchildren: Lauren Reible (husband Eric), Justin, Nathan, Jake, Paige, Ben, Kristin, David, Anna, Kendall, Kailynn and Braden, and a great grandson, Benson. She is also survived by her brother France Griffin (wife Ella Mae), her sisters Srs. Bea Griffin and Rose Griffin, numerous cousins, nieces and nephews ; Ruth Ann Hladish, her lifelong friend since third grade, and her husband, Ed; Gunilla Widstrom of Balsta, Sweden; Anaele Abdala of Monteria, Colombia, her neighbors of nearly a half- century Jane and Al Klein and Art and Gladys Hinrichs and too many friends to mention. Visitation will be Sunday September 8, 2013 from 3-9PM at Lauterburg & Oehler Funeral Home, 2000 E. Northwest Highway, Arlington Heights. Prayers will be said Monday September 9 at 9:15 AM at the funeral home and proceed to St. James Church, 831 N. Arlington Heights Road for funeral mass at 10:00 AM. Interment will be in St. Michael the Archangel Cemetery. Contributions to St. James Church appreciated.