Kathy Yang- My high school prom date- My home coming queen. This young girl I met at Roosevelt stole  my heart away.  She was more than beautiful,  She  was Divine and charming and sweet. Did I also mention- Lovely. How I ever got her to go out with me is  forever and a mystery.   She is MY  Mystery Girl. We would often drive -  in my 66 Ford Custom- 3 speed on the column- to places we could never reach. And we always got there. Somehow.  Sunny afternoons in Gomper's Park.  Or early evenings in Horner Park. Close by her home at Richmond and Sunnyside. Or concerts at Ravinia Park . Harry Chapin singing over the crowds-  I remember her parents.  Her Dad didn't think much of me- I was an Irish American asshole. But then I told him my Dad was a Marine who almost lost his life fighting the Japanese at Okinawa. He hated the Japanese more than me. They had raped his homeland. and I was in his good graces. for a while.  Her mother was a quiet and demure woman who met her husband- James, when he was doing research for his degree in US history. Sponsored by North Park College. (at Foster and Kedzie.)    She was a librarian at Northwestern University. She once dated Richard Widmark who went to school there. I asked her if she also dated Charlton Heston- and she shyly said no.  Her father was a Bobby in London. Kathy Always wanted to be a cop- she Loved Columbo and those other crime shows from the 70's. She'd often clasp her hands together,  like she was holding a gun, and shout  at Me.  FREEZE SUCKER!   It was   jarring. and alarming,  in those quiet moments between life and death
So- to get back- It was 1975- we were all looking for work- I told Kathy Sears was  hiring people it was posted on the Job board at DeVry. She went to Sears at 6 corners- and started pumping GAS? That's where she met Mark- and the rest is history.  I'd like to think I 'm the great  uncle- twice removed of their kids. God Bless Kathy. She will live forever in my heart and all the kids from Roosevelt.

Dear Mark and Kim,
I remember your mom as a beautiful, smart, full of life, and kind person.  She had a big heart and loved her family very much.  She loved her friends, her music, and her cats too!  Oh, we can’t forget her antiques. 😊   Grandpa and Grandma Yang raised her very strict, lots of studying and limited free time all through High School and college days.  Grandma taught her kindness and pampered her constantly; dressing in ten layers, boots and all; think Christmas Story bundled X 2, no lie.  Grandpa was a High School teacher and enforced constant study habits, which paid-off for your mom in law school and beyond.  Straight A-A-A plus across the board; the most studious person I have ever met.  Boy, could she study and memorize volumes of information, it was truly amazing.  Well, amazing, inspiring, and beautiful to me.

When I met your mom, she was in her “rebellion years”, not completely free of Grandpa Yang’s control and still dependent on him financially, law school and all.  She had an adventurous spirit, loved music, drove a MG Midget convertible, worked with me at Sears whilst attending UIC and DePaul Law School.

I remember one trip to Baraboo Wisconsin; we took the MG and we were going camping.  The MG had a bad starter, so we had to push start the car every time we wanted to use it.   I will never forget the two of us, on Wisconsin back roads pushing the car to top of a hill and then jumping in downhill to get it started.   Another time was our trip to Minnesota by motorcycle.  Your mom, Dave Frer and I drove 600 miles through Wisconsin and Minnesota to get to Grandpa and Grandma Perkins in Cass Lake MN.  What a trip to remember; couldn’t find any vacancies, so we drove through the night, through rain and wind and landed at a youth camp near Rice Lake Wisconsin, then the next day had trouble with Dave’s motorcycle and spent another fine night in Warba Minnesota.  Proud to say we hit every gin-joint/hardware store Warba had to offer.

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Kathleen Lucille Yang

February 23, 1956 – January 2, 2023

Malec & Sons Funeral Home

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