Kathryn Lenzen Labbe

03/16/1955 - 05/21/2025
Service Date: 06/28/2025
Service Time: 11:00am - 1:00 pm
Service Location: Gilbert Memorial Park 2100 E Queen Creek Road, Gilbert, AZ
Kathryn Mary (Lenzen) Labbe, 70, passed away peacefully and painlessly on May 21, 2025, in Mesa, Ariz. Husband Carl, daughter Gina, son Douglas and his wife, Jamie, were at her side. Her nearly four-year battle with uterine cancer is over.
Kathy was a strong, determined woman. She fearlessly forged a great life with a loving family, a rewarding pharmacy career, and selfless community service.
She was born March 16, 1955, in Sidney, Neb., the fifth of Jerome and Marian Lenzen's seven children. Jerome was a farmer, and Marian was a writer. Their four boys came first, then three girls followed. Kathy was the oldest girl.
She loved growing up on the farm with all those siblings and had fond memories of horseback riding, hiking through the pastures, and attending the one-room country school about a mile down the road. There were just two students in her class from first through sixth grade.
Kathy went from one classmate at the country school to more than 100 at the junior high in Sidney. She worked part time at the local bookstore and graduated from Sidney High School in 1973. Academically she excelled in math and the sciences, and those interests led her to pursue a pharmacy degree, with coursework starting at the University of Nebraska-Lincoln and finishing at the Medical Center in Omaha.
After graduation in 1978, Kathy was determined to escape the cold winters of Nebraska, so she packed up her VW Beetle and boldly moved to Arizona, where she didn't know a single person. Her early career found her working for a well-known independent, Lahr's Pharmacy in Phoenix. She eventually transitioned to Smitty's, which was renamed Smith's, Fred Meyer, and Fry's as corporate ownership changed.
Throughout the years, Kathy was always highly patient-focused, and she was recognized in 2001 as Pharmacy Times magazine's Pharmacist of the Year for her fierce, unyielding patient advocacy. In 2013, Kathy was awarded the Bowl of Hygeia, one of the profession's most prestigious awards, recognizing pharmacists for outstanding community service.
In Kathy's case, she was a tireless fundraiser for breast cancer research. For many years, she participated in Susan G. Komen 3-Day walks around the country. She evolved into a team leader, and she more recently walked for the Pledge the Pink Foundation as well. She endured miles of scorching heat, drenching rain, blistered feet, aching bones, and an exhausted body, but never did her spirit waver. This was a lady of diamonds and steel. If you walked in her shoes, or stood by her side, you knew that she was a very special pharmacist, wife, mother, and friend.
Kathy retired in 2019, but there was no slowing down. She learned genealogy, tracing her family tree and discovering her roots along with many wonderful stories. She delved even deeper into one of her favorite projects: photographing headstones and documenting the exact GPS locations of thousands of graves for the Find a Grave website, helping families rediscover lost and forgotten loved ones. She was most proud of documenting approximately 8,000 graves in her hometown Greenwood Cemetery in Sidney.
Throughout her cancer journey, Kathy made fleece throw blankets, an activity she could manage even when she wasn't feeling well. In all, she crafted about 150 throws, spreading warmth from Arizona to Maine.
Kathy's perseverance and strength during her final years cemented her Wonder Woman status with family and friends. She chronicled the ups and downs of her treatments on a CaringBridge page with openness and humor. Her courage was inspiring.
She was supported in all of her endeavors by husband Carl, a fellow pharmacist whom she met shortly after moving to Phoenix. In later years, Carl played a key role in supporting Kathy's team during her fundraising walks. He was also her rock during her roller-coaster cancer odyssey.
Throughout her life, Kathy was proud of her heritage and always demonstrated her strong pioneer spirit. The Labbes loved making jams and salsa together as a family. They made many trips to the family homestead in Sidney, and they loved to travel, always trying new foods and adventures. She lived life in full and leaves a legacy of lives improved, as well as her beautiful children and grandchildren.
Kathy is survived by husband Carl, daughter Gina, son Douglas, daughter-in-law Jamie, and two grandsons. She is also survived by brothers Jerome N. Lenzen Jr. (wife Kathleen), Robert Lenzen, and Stephen Lenzen (wife Karen); sisters Amy Burt (husband Randy) and Patricia Hammond (husband Kevin); and many nieces, nephews, grandnieces, and grandnephews.
She was preceded in death by parents Jerome and Marian Lenzen, brother Matthew Lenzen, and sister-in-law Terri Lenzen.
A celebration of Kathy's life will be held at Gilbert Memorial Park Cemetery, 2100 E. Queen Creek Road, Gilbert, Ariz., on June 28 from 11 a.m. to 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Epilepsy Foundation.