Kaat Debeuckelaer

1990 - 2012

We are devastated by the sudden loss of our sweet Kaat Paula Debeuckelaer, a resident of Colleyville. She died on Thursday, Jan. 5, 2012. She and the love of her life, Kenny Lark, were both passengers in a terrible car accident. Service: The family will hold a funeral celebrating her life at 10 a.m. Tuesday at Good Shepherd Catholic Church in Colleyville. Wake: The family will be holding a wake on Monday at Bluebonnet Hills Funeral Home in Colleyville. Friends and family may pay their respects from 9 a.m. to 6 p.m. Rosary: A rosary will be held for Kaat from 7 to 8 p.m. following the visitation. The Debeuckelaer family aslo encourages friends to share memories with the family from 5 to 6 p.m. before the rosary. Memorials: In lieu of flowers, Kaat's family asks that a donation be made in Kaat's name to a charity of your choice. Her smile and bright blue eyes lit up every room she walked into. She loved her family and friends fiercely and would do anything to protect them. She had been a fighter ever since she was born prematurely, never giving up and working hard to achieve her dreams. Kaat had a positive impact on so many people during her brief time with us. She was the best listener and never judged. It didn't matter whether she knew someone well or whether she had just met the person, she always made you feel at home. Her devotion spread to more than just her friends and family, as burnt orange ran through her blood. Kaat had so many more things to do. She had yet to see her Longhorns win a BCS Bowl game. She never got to walk into her first class at dental school. We will never see how the plans that she and Kenny made for their future blossom. They were so much in love and everyone who knew them was sure they would spend the rest of their lives together. Kaat was born on May 9, 1990, in Hoffman Estates, Ill. She graduated from Colleyville Heritage High School in 2008, where she played third base for Panthers Softball. She was a biology major at University of Texas in Austin. Ever since her first set of braces, she has wanted to be a dentist and she was well on her way to achieving that dream. She was in the pre-dental society and planned to begin her dental school application process soon. When she wasn't studying, she worked as a nanny, caring for two families or she was caring for Kenny and Kaat's rescued puppy, Leyla. Before moving with her family to Texas in 2004, she lived in Sudbury, Mass., for five years. Her interest in softball developed here one afternoon playing catch with neighbors and turned into a spot on the Colleyville Heritage Panthers Softball team. Kaat was preceded in death by her grandmother, Joanna Daems. Survivors: Kaat leaves behind her twin brother, Jan R. Debeuckelaer; her older sister, Miek Debeuckelaer; her father, Jan J. Debeuckelaer; and her mother, Krista Daems Debeuckelaer. She also is survived by her grandparents, Raymond Daems, Jan O. Debeuckelaer and Paula Debeuckelaer.