Kathleen "Kathy" Kearny

Kathleen Ann (Christensen) Kearny, 77, a longtime resident of East Wenatchee, passed away on January 9, 2024 at Central Washington Hospital in Wenatchee, Washington. She courageously lived with many health challenges during her later years, all with her loving husband of 57 years, Stephen Kearny, by her side.
Kathy was born April 8, 1946, in Duluth, Minnesota, the daughter of Leonard and Grace (McNally) Christensen. She grew up in many locations including Alaska, Maine, and Okinawa, Japan while her father served in the US Air Force. After his retirement, the family settled in Portland, Oregon where she graduated from Marycrest Catholic High School in 1964. Kathy went on to attend Seattle University on a full scholarship where she met, Steve, the boy of her dreams, and they were married at St. James Cathedral in Seattle, Washington March 19, 1966. Less than a year later, they welcomed their first child and Kathy swapped the scholarship for the vocation she believed to be her true calling – mother to seven children, and later grandmother to eighteen and great-grandmother to one. They settled in Washington to raise their family in Seattle, Spokane, and East Wenatchee. Kathy was a full-time homemaker and in 1995 earned a degree in technology studies from Wenatchee Valley College. That same year, Steve and Kathy moved the family to Pocatello, Idaho where they lived until she and Steve retired in 2005 and returned to East Wenatchee. During those years, she enjoyed her work as church secretary for St Joseph's Catholic Church in Pocatello, Idaho, and Holy Apostles Catholic Church in East Wenatchee. In 2019, they moved to Ephrata, Washington to live with their daughter and son-in-law, surrounded by four of their youngest grandchildren.
Kathy was very active in her Catholic faith, volunteering for decades with school and church charity events and fundraising efforts, participating in the church choir and bible study, Young Ladies Institute (YLI), organizing and publishing church bulletins both as a church secretary and then as a volunteer, and sharing her devotion with her husband, her children, and her dear friends.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Leonard and Grace Christensen, and sister Judith Hendricks. She is survived by her husband, Steve Kearny, and children Patty (Jim) McGoorty, Laura (Ariel) Belino, Charles (Shelly) Kearny, Judy (Shad) Fernandez, Peggy (Rob) Russell, Kevin (Jen) Kearny and Tim Kearny; her grandchildren Brian and Paul McGoorty, Ben, Alex, Grace and Mary Belino, Megan, Stephen and Jessica Kearny, Riley, Nathan and Anthony Fernandez, Jacob (Kendall) and Juliana Nunez-Kearny, Tyler (Isabel) and Autumn Kearny, and Amy and Zachary Kearny; her great-grandson Daniel Nunez; her brothers Jack (Norma) Christensen and Ray (Darlene) Christensen. She also leaves behind her loving Kearny brothers and sisters-in-law, as well as many nieces, nephews and cousins.
Kathy treasured her time with family and friends, both of which she had in abundance. She laughed easily and shared stories right up until the end. She will be greatly missed by the many people who loved her.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated at Holy Apostles Catholic Church, 1315 8th St NE, East Wenatchee, WA 98802 on February 2, 2024, at 11:00 AM, with a Recitation of the Holy Rosary at 10:30 AM.