Katharina Bellinger

Katharina Bellinger passed away on October 19, 2024, in Scottsdale, Arizona. Katharina led a happy, active life. She loved to travel. She enjoyed various arts and crafts, especially knitting, crocheting, cross-stitching, and embroidering. She took great pleasure in her plants, flowers, gardening, and enjoying her beautiful backyard. She loved to exercise at the Mesa YMCA and the downtown Mesa Senior Center. She was a huge water aerobics enthusiast and she enjoyed sharing her own pool with friends and neighbors. Lastly, everyone delighted in Katharina's baking, especially her traditional German Christmas cookies.
Katharina was born on March 28, 1940, in Poppitz, Czechoslovakia during World War II. Her father was a prosperous blacksmith. Her mother was a homemaker and business partner. After WWII, her family was forced from their home in Czechoslovakia and shipped via freight train to Giebelstadt, Germany. She grew up in the dark times of post-war Germany.
In Giebelstadt, Katharina earned a degree in accounting. She then moved to Würzburg, Germany where she worked at the University of Würzburg. She met her future husband Donald Bellinger (U.S. Army) at a local dance in Giebelstadt. They married in Germany, had a son (Johnathen), and when Donald's service time was over, they moved to the United States with their six-month-old son. When she left Germany, she made a promise that she would return to Germany every two years and with determination, she managed to keep that promise. It was a difficult transition from Germany to the United States, but she eventually flourished. They initially lived in Massachusetts, then moved to southern California and finally in 1980, the family moved to Mesa, Arizona. In Arizona, Katharina worked in the accounting department for the Mesa Country Club and ended her accounting career with the Arizona State Prison System.
Katharina is preceded in death by her husband, parents, four siblings, and two nephews. She is survived by her son Johnathen and many nieces and nephews in Germany and the United States.
Katharina may have been small in stature, but she had a big heart. She will be missed by all.
Arrangements by Bunker's Garden Chapel, . Should this obituary appear anywhere but bunkerfuneral.com, please check our website for accurate details and service information.