Kathleen Marie Monahan

Kathleen Marie Monahan passed away peacefully on December 24, 2024, in Miami, Florida, after a brief illness. She was 77 years old. Kathleen was born at Walter Reed Medical Center in Washington, D.C., on July 25, 1947, and graduated from Washington-Lee High School in Arlington, VA, where she still looked forward to the regular reunions. She received her accounting degree from George Washington University, her MBA from American University, and an additional master’s degree from the Industrial College of the Armed Forces (ICAF).

Kathleen raised her family in Arlington, VA. She had a long, successful civilian career in weapons procurement within the Department of the Navy. Her drive and ambition propelled her from secretary to becoming a member of the Senior Executive Service (the equivalent of a flag officer in the armed forces).

In retirement, she and her late husband, Lyman Krekel, split their time between McLean, VA, and Islamorada in the Florida Keys until they moved down to the Keys permanently in 2012. They spent many years extensively traveling within the US to the National Parks as well as internationally. She especially loved their time in Italy along the Amalfi Coast and their transatlantic cruises on the Queen Mary 2. She also loved travel adventures with her grandsons. Since Lyman’s passing in 2014, Kathleen has embraced her adopted home, spending time with friends playing Mahjong and card games, participating in activities at the JOY Center, attending services at the Island Community Church, and soaking up local art and cultural events while building her beautiful dream home. She was a beloved member of the Village of Islamorada community.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Lyman Krekel, and her brother, Patrick H. Monahan II. Survivors include her sister, Patricia Holden of Kingwood, TX, her son, Edward H. Barker IV (Ed) and his wife, Faye, of Arlington, VA, and her daughter, Christian Marie Eldringhoff and her husband, Tim, of Kingwood, TX. She was a great friend and a wonderful mother, but her favorite people called her Nana (pronounced NAH-nuh). In addition to many extended relatives, Kathleen is also survived by her three grandsons, Christian and Tim’s two sons, Tyler Monahan Eldringhoff and Peyton Spaulding Eldringhoff, and Ed and Faye’s son, Edward H. Barker V (Bud). She was the embodiment of an amazing grandmother and will be missed dearly by her “boys.”

There will be a Celebration of Life, an Irish Wake as she liked to call it, this summer in Islamorada. The family will finalize those details later this spring. Final interment will be at Arlington National Cemetery with Lyman at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in memory of Kathleen M Monahan to the causes she supported: The Monroe Association for ReMARCable Citizens (marchouse.org), Just Older Youth, Inc. aka The JOY Center (justolderyouthinc.org), Island Community Church (islandcommunitychurch.org) or Morada Way Arts & Cultural District (moradaway.org).