Katherine Darlene Klassen

Katherine Darlene Klassen (née Reimer), 91, of Lakewood, Colorado, passed away peacefully on August 16, 2026.

Katherine was born in June 1935 in Steinbach, Manitoba, Canada, to Heinrich and Paulina Reimer and into a Low German (Plautdietsch) speaking Mennonite family. The youngest of four children, she grew up with her brother, Vernon, and sisters, Norma and Helen. The defining moment of her life came at age eight, when she committed her life to Christ. While attending meetings in Steinbach with her cousin Elvira Toews, evangelist Dr. Hyman Appleman asked whether she wanted to invite Jesus into her heart. Though she initially hesitated, she encountered him again the next morning in the home where she was staying. When he asked her once more if she wanted to accept Jesus, she knew with certainty that she did. After he prayed with her, her life changed that day. From then on, she devoted herself to Christ and continued to grow in her faith.

After completing school, Kathy earned her teaching certificate and taught for three years during which time she met, courted, fell in love with and married Peter Klassen in 1956. The next year, they received permanent resident visas and moved to the United States. Their first two children, Martha and Jonathan, were born in Nebraska 13 months apart. Always willing to take on a challenge, Kathy taught for a semester while caring for 9-month-old Martha and expecting Jon, who was born 2 days before the end of the semester. The family soon moved to Lincoln and, six months later, to Denver, Colorado, where Rebecca (Becki) was born in 1960, making them a family of five. Kathy’s adventurous spirit showed when, with three young children at home, she took flying lessons at Pete’s encouragement; he had a pilot’s license and owned a small plane. In later years, they often flew to Canada to visit family. Pete and Kathy later moved to Fort Collins for construction work and then to Loveland, where they spent four years managing a restaurant and motel they had purchased with two of Pete’s brothers, in addition to continuing the construction business. Kathy had a genuine interest in people, and many felt comfortable sharing their life stories with her because they sensed her caring heart. She quickly learned the restaurant business, and her warmth and people skills served her well. Largely because of her hard work, the business grew quickly and was sold a few years later for a profit. During this busy season, Kathy and Pete welcomed their fourth child, Matthew, in 1971 while living in Loveland. The family also lived for a time in Carbondale and Breckenridge, where Kathy stayed involved by volunteering at church and learning cross-country skiing.

In 1973, Kathy’s father passed away in Canada as Pete’s construction work slowed. They moved to Kola, Manitoba, Canada, to be closer to Kathy’s mother and siblings. Within a few months, the local teacher resigned, and Kathy’s teaching certificate was needed once again when she taught grades 4–6 for the second semester. While she taught, two-year-old Matt was lovingly cared for by his grandmother. Pete and Kathy lived in Canada for 10 years, with Pete continuing in construction and Kathy helping wherever she could. She volunteered in church ministries and later returned to school to take a university Spanish course. During this decade, their three oldest children married: Martha married Bob Penner, Becki married Lawrence Penner, and Jon married Cathy Perchaluk, a schoolteacher who shared Kathy’s first name.

Construction work brought the family back to Colorado in 1983. Matt was in seventh grade, and Jon and his new wife, Cathy, moved to Colorado soon afterward. Pete continued in construction, while Kathy worked briefly in a Mennonite restaurant before moving into retail sales at a GNC store. This change marked the start of a new direction that became an important part of their lives for the next 12 years. Matt later graduated from high school and moved to Phoenix for university, where he met and married Kim Smith. Meanwhile, Jon and Cathy moved away from Denver with their family.

In 1992, Pete and Kathy, after much prayer, purchased a GNC franchise in Phoenix to be near at least one of their children, Matt. As God continued to show His faithfulness, He also brought Jon, Cathy, and their family to Phoenix, giving them the joy of some more immediate family nearby again. They were further blessed to have Pete’s brother Frank, Frank’s wife Theresa, their family, and another nephew, Stephen, and his family living there as well. Pete and Kathy lived in Phoenix for 20 years, longer than they lived anywhere else. They enjoyed many visits from family and friends, including Bob and Martha, Lawrence and Becki, and their families. These visits were always highlights. All the grandchildren treasured time at Grandma and Grandpa’s house, swimming in the pool or playing dominoes with Grandma. In 2008, however, Jon and Cathy and their family, as well as Matt, Kim, and their children, moved away from Phoenix within a few months of one another. Once again, Pete and Kathy had no children or grandchildren nearby.

In 2011, they received an invitation they could not refuse. Matt and Kim, now parents of four children, invited them to live in a walkout basement apartment in their Elizabeth, Colorado, home. Work began on the apartment while Kathy took a trip she had long dreamed of, a 75th-birthday gift from her family to Germany and Switzerland with Martha, Becki, Kim, and granddaughter Katie. It was a wonderful week. Kathy served as interpreter, and local Germans asked what part of Germany she was from, amazed when she said she had been in the country only one day. Her High German was clearly excellent.

In 2012, Kathy and Pete moved back to Colorado, and Jon and Cathy moved nearby soon after. A few years later, Pete was diagnosed with Alzheimer’s, and Kathy became his loving and faithful caregiver until he passed away from Covid in 2020. They had been married for 64 years. After his death, Kathy felt her life had little purpose, but God had another plan. He brought an old family friend, Willis Hamm, back into her life. Their families had been friends for 60 years, and Willis had also recently lost his wife. Their friendship grew into love, and they married in August 2022. They shared almost four wonderful years together, treasuring every moment and thanking God for the gift. Although Kathy did not legally change her name, she was always proud to introduce herself as Kathy Hamm. In February 2026, Kathy fell and broke her hip. She worked hard to walk again, but in June she suffered a stroke, followed by infections. Her body was too weary to recover from these serious health setbacks. On August 16, 2026, God brought her home to Glory—her final move, the one she had anticipated and prepared for since she was eight years old.

Like everyone, Kathy faced hardships, but she trusted God to carry her through them and rejoiced in the joys He gave. She was blessed with four children—Martha, Jon, Becki, and Matt—13 grandchildren, 22 great-grandchildren, and meaningful friendships in the many places she lived as well as in the big family she was in. She loved coffee and collected “Bunnies” some of which made every move with her, she loved poems and car racing as much as she loved cheering for the Broncos, Avalanche, Winnipeg Jets and Phoenix Coyotes. She played the harmonica, she loved puzzles, crosswords, Sudoku, and Scrabble, and her family fondly remember playing games with her, especially dominoes. She loved attending their events, from hockey, track, bike races and soccer games to piano and dance recitals and everything in-between and was always their biggest fan. Over her 91 years, she moved 40 times, plus her final move to Heaven. Those who knew her will remember her as godly, kind, thoughtful, and caring. She adapted to life’s changes by relying on God, meeting each season with a smile and a Scripture. She welcomed people into her home, never met a stranger, and left each person knowing she cared about them and would be praying for them. Her deepest desire was for her family to know the Lord Jesus as their Saviour. She inspired and encouraged many, was deeply loved, and will be greatly missed.

Kathy is survived by her second husband, Willis Hamm; her children, Martha (Bob) Penner, Jon (Cathy) Klassen, Becki (Lawrence) Penner, and Matt (Kim) Klassen; 13 grandchildren; 20 great-grandchildren; her sister-in-law, Helen Reimer; and many nieces, nephews, and cousins, including Elvira, as well as Willis’ family and in-laws from Peter’s family. She was predeceased by her first husband, Peter Klassen; great-grandchildren Amos Klassen and Immanuel Klassen; her parents, Heinrich and Paulina Reimer; her siblings and their spouses, Vernon Reimer, Norma (Abe) Martens, and Helen (Jake) Martens; and her niece, Lynette Reimer.

Kathy’s memorial service will be held at Parker Evangelical Presbyterian Church (PEPC) on Saturday, August 22, at 3:00 p.m. Her ashes will be inured in Canada beside those of her first husband, Peter Klassen, at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks for donations to Katherine's most cherished causes:

RevelationMedia

https://revelationmediastaff.com/klassen

International Fellowship of Christians and Jews

https://help.ifcj.org/donate/