Kathleen Fetzer

Kathleen Marie Kohn Fetzer, matriarch of the Fetzer wine family, passed away on September 15, 2010 in Ukiah, California at the age of 88. The mother of eleven children, she was the wife of the late Bernard "Barney" Fetzer, who founded Fetzer Vineyards in 1968. Born on November 2, 1921 in Luverne, Minnesota, she was the daughter of Philetta and John Kohn. During World War II, Kathleen moved to the San Francisco Bay Area to join her sister, where she was introduced to Merchant Marine Barney Fetzer. They later married and lived in Oregon where six of their children were born before heading to Ukiah, California where their paths would lead them to the wine business. In 1958, Kathleen and Barney moved to an 800-acre property in Redwood Valley, California which would become the "Home Ranch" and the beginning of Fetzer Vineyards. Together with their children, they worked to expand the business into what would later become "Winery of the Year" in 1988. Following Barney's death, Kathleen and her children carried on running the family business, expanding to become Mendocino County's largest winery and one of California's wine dynasties. Fond of traveling, her journeys took her around the world including Australia, New Zealand, Tasmania, Ireland, Greece, Israel, England, Wales, Italy, Yugoslavia, Scotland, Hong Kong and the Netherlands. In memory of Barney, she established the Kathleen Kohn Fetzer Family Foundation as a legacy for her family. Kathleen is survived by children John, Kathleen, Joe, Jim, Patti, Mary, Diana, Richard, Teresa and Danny; nineteen grandchildren and eleven great-grandchildren. Her son Bobby died in 2006 in a river rafting accident. A lover of dogs, she owned several apricot poodles over the years, all of whom she named Pierre. "I hope the lessons I learned from my Minnesota upbringing, as well as the experiences and hardships that Barney and I endured, all of which helped to mold our children, will continue to the next generation," she stated in her biography, Kathleen's Vineyard. "That is my fondest wish and true legacy for the Fetzer family." A Rosary will be held on Thursday, Sept. 23rd at 7:00 p.m. at the Eversole Mortuary, visitation will begin at 3:00 p.m. A Funeral Mass will take place Friday, Sept. 24th at 1:00 p.m., at St. Mary of the Angels Catholic Church in Ukiah. A reception will follow at Jeriko Estates in Hopland. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to the Kathleen Kohn Fetzer Family Foundation, Post Office Box 289, Mendocino, CA 95460. Arrangements are under the direction of the: EVERSOLE MORTUARY, UKIAH, CA.