Kimberly Angel Katen

Kimberly Angel Katen was born on October 22, 1964 in Los Gatos, CA. Kim and her husband, Wayne Katen, were married for 21 beautiful years. She was the love of his life, his best friend, and the pillar of their family. They have known each other since Kim was a senior at Del Mar High School and this year would have been their 22nd anniversary.

Wayne and Kim's love story began at the races where she enjoyed supporting and watching her husband race sprint cars. Kim loved arts and crafts and enjoyed taking care of her dog, Indy. On any given day, you could find Kim cleaning the house or binge-watching her favorite television shows.

Holidays were Kim’s favorite. She would decorate not only the outside of the house, but the inside as well. Halloween was especially her favorite holiday, which may have had something to do with her being born in the Year of the Dragon.

She spread so much love and joy to others. If you were lucky enough to meet her, you would have seen firsthand the light she brought into the world. She was always a bright ray of sunshine, on good days and bad.

Kim always worried about everyone else before herself and would do anything to help the people she cared about most. She was everyone’s shoulder to cry on and the person to laugh with, especially if margaritas were involved.

If her family were to describe her, they would say she was the most caring, thoughtful, and kindest person you could ever know. She was the best mom, daughter, wife, and best friend to all of the family. No one could compare to how wonderful she was.

Kim passed away on January 31st, 2026 at the Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA, and losing her has been the most devastating experience for the family. Her children have lost their mother and her husband has lost his wife. Kim's family is now doing the best they can to move forward while caring for each other during this devastating time.

Kim leaves behind her loving parents, Sheila Smith and Heman Childs II, as well as her stepfather, Jerome Smith. She is also survived by her only sibling, her brother, Tyler Smith.

Kim’s greatest pride and joy was her family. She leaves behind five children: Amelia Katen (daughter), Melanie Katen (daughter), Michael Twitchell (son), Shelby Twitchell (daughter-in-law), Janelle Katen (step-Daughter), & Jennifer Jennings (step-daughter).

Her greatest achievement was becoming a grandmother. She deeply cherished her beloved grandchildren: Rheagan Twitchell (granddaughter), Myrene Deal (step-granddaughter), Jackson Deal (step-grandson), and Ayla Jennings (step-granddaughter).

The Katen family has started a fundraiser to help with the medical expenses from her time in the ICU. Kim was in the ICU for several days, fighting for her life. She was flown from Hollister, CA, to Good Samaritan Hospital in San Jose, CA, to receive treatment for sudden congestive heart failure. The family is doing the best they can to navigate this painful new reality together, however, the financial burden, on top of the emotional loss, has been overwhelming.

Any support, whether through a donation or by sharing this page, means more than they can express. Thank you for taking the time to read Kim's story and for helping the family during this difficult time.

The celebration of life will be announced in the near future. If you feel inclined to donate to Kim and her family, please do so through the GoFundMe link that can be found below:

https://www.gofundme.com/f/honoring-kimberly-katens-wonderful-life-legacy

If it is easier to donate through Venmo, that is also an option as well.

You can send donations via Venmo to: @Melanie_Katen