KATHLEEN R. SEVEDGE

1937 - 2014

KATHLEEN R.(CARTER) SEVEDGE Kathleen R. Sevedge, 76, died February 8, 2014 in Lenexa, Kansas. Born Kathleen Rae Carter on February 23, 1937 in Kansas City, Kansas, Kathy was the only child of William Thomas and Grace Kathleen [Jones] Carter. Kathy grew up in the Armourdale section of K.C.K., where she attended John Fiske Elementary and Central Junior High Schools while forging close bonds with cousins and extended family. The historic "'51 Flood" displaced the Carters, who found higher ground just north of KCK's Parallel Avenue. This effectively transferred Kathy to Wyandotte High School, where she was active in drama productions and varsity cheerleading. Kathy made many friends at Wyandotte of lifelong duration. Chief amongst those was her high school sweetheart, Roger William Sevedge, to whom she became married on June 8, 1957. Children soon arrived. With Mattel Toy's introduction of the talking "Chatty Cathy" doll by early 1960, a lifelong nickname would naturally emerge as acquaintances' homage to her prolific gift of gab. Kathy spent much of her young adult life raising a family and managing the household, leading Cub Scout and Camp Fire Girl dens and PTA chapters in the process. Kathy also renewed her theatrical interest during this time via acting in the Junior League's Community Theater productions. As kids finished high school, Roger's involvement with the local family business - Artco Casket Company, Inc. - demanded administrative assistance that Kathy would provide. Kathy and Roger ultimately succeeded Roger's parents as co-owners of the family firm. Continuous business expansion ensued from the late 1970s through the turn of the century, and Kathy was actively involved in all of it. Kathy earned several formal acknowledgments and honors from colleagues in the casket and funeral supply industries through her "second career" in the family business. This second career was pleasantly punctuated by the arrival of children-in-law and five grandchildren. Kathy and Roger embraced the athletics programs at the University of Kansas during a child's attendance there, and became especially avid supporters of the football and men's basketball teams. Tournament visits became a nearly annual routine starting with the early 1980s, and Kathy became quite the zealous fan of Jayhawks' hoops. Kathy stepped down from daily involvement in the family business in May, 2003, but this hardly resembled "retirement." During this time, she renewed her ties with the sisters in her P.E.O. Chapter and helped organize a group of her Wyandotte classmates into the "Lunch Bunch," deriving great pleasure from each association. She additionally reveled in the ventures of her five grandchildren, of whom Kathy simply couldn't be more proud. Through all of this activity, medical challenges arose repeatedly only to be eluded by Kathy and a series of quite remarkable physicians and medical caregivers. Kathy dodged all such challenges until her final few months, for which her family echoes Kathy's own profuse admiration and gratitude to each of those professionals for their exceptional care. Kathy was predeceased by her parents, Tom and Grace Carter. She is survived by her husband of more than fifty-six years, Roger W. Sevedge, of Lenexa, Kansas, and her sister-in-law and spouse, Deborah Jane and Robert Carter Young of Eastborough, Kansas. Kathy is survived by each of her children and their spouses, Keith and Jan Sevedge of Lenexa and Amy Kathleen and Dane Ogden of Overland Park. Kathy is also survived by five grandchildren: Matthew Sargent and wife April of Shawnee; Nathan Sargent and wife Lauren of Overland Park; Christopher Sevedge of Charlottesville, Virginia; Alex Sevedge and fiancee Jessica Eisman of Lenexa; and Abby Kathleen Ogden of Lawrence, Kansas. Great- grandchild Cole Matthew Sargent of Shawnee also survives "GG Kathy." Public visitation will take place at Porter Funeral Home, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, Kansas, from two through seven on Wednesday afternoon and evening, February 12, 2014. The family will host a celebration of Kathy's life at eleven o'clock on Thursday morning, February 13, 2014, at Lenexa Baptist Church, 15320 W. 87th St. Parkway, Lenexa, KS with a reception to immediately follow. Family burial services will be private. Memorial contributions in Kathleen's honor are encouraged to The York Children's Foundation, to the American Diabetes Association, or to KU Endowment at the University of Kansas, any of which may be submitted in care of Porter Funeral Home. (Condolences may be expressed at: www.porterfuneralhome.com Arrangements: Porter Funeral Homes & Crematory, 8535 Monrovia, Lenexa, KS (913) 438-6444) P