July 11, 2022 at 12:18 p.m.
Kathy Bennett
Kathy Bennett
Born Kathleen Ann Devlin on Dec. 14, 1945, in Freeport, New York, her earliest memories are of the noise and smoke from the steam locomotives when the family lived over the train station at Huntington, N.Y. They eventually moved to Massapequa Park, N.Y. where she would graduate from Massapequa High in 1963. She was the consummate Baby Boomer: A bobby soxer in the fifties, folk music fan in the sixties & seventies, and a Tom Selleck fan since the eighties.
A devoted wife, mother, sister, grandmother and recent great-grandmother, she met her husband, Frank, while working as a dental assistant in Merrick, N.Y. Turning her back on Long Island for love, they married on Oct. 22, 1966, at Saint Rose of Lima Catholic Church in Massapequa, New York, and moved to their first home in Denver, Colo. and began a career filled with travels. In addition to Colorado, they lived in New Mexico, West Virginia, Louisiana, New York (again), and of course, Wisconsin which she loved all 12 months of the year. In their retirement, she and Frank traveled the world visiting all seven continents.
In the 1990s, Kathy and Frank became amateur genealogists and traced their respective families back to their home soil in Ireland, visiting Ardboe in County Tyrone, where the Devlin family lived prior to emigrating to Leeds, England and thence to America. Her family is grateful for the research she has done from the pre-internet days of cranking miles of microfilm to her present day Ancestry.com account.
A connoisseur of fine cooking, she enjoyed crafting lavish meals for her family, often using recipes from the many places where they lived. Her dinners could be anything from shrimp etouffee to Guamanian spare ribs.
Kathy was a lifelong knitter and had even taught needlework at Nicolet College. She was a regular entrant in the Crafts Fair at the Oneida County Fair, where she swept the knitting category for several years before withdrawing herself so that others could win. So devoted was she to her family that she spent her last years knitting baby blankets and sweaters for great-grandchildren yet unborn until her fingers could no longer knit and purl.
She sang soprano with the Northwoods Choraliers since 1986 and treasured the friendships she formed there. Her voice may be silenced, but her love of music lives on through her many contributions to the group.
Kathy cherished her relationship with her three grandchildren, Liam, Erin and David. She was immensely proud to be their Grammy and her final moments were spent surrounded by their photographs.
She is survived by her husband Frank, her sons Terry (Janet) of Wausau, and Brian (Michelle) of Rhinelander, grandchildren Liam (Miranda) of Hutsonville, Ill., Erin, and David, and great-grandson Henry. In addition, she is survived by her sister Margaret Devlin of Amityville, N.Y., her brother Jim Devlin of Disputanta, Va. and, finally by her beloved cat Luna. She was preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Helen (Joba/Dzuiba) Devlin, her brother, John Devlin and many pampered cats.
Visitation for Kathy will be held on July 15, 2022 from 4 to 7 p.m. at the Carlson Funeral Home and from 10 to 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at the Nativity of our Lord Catholic Church. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at 11 a.m. on Saturday, July 16, 2022 at the Nativity of Our Lord Catholic Church with Father Chris Kemp officiating. Interment will follow in the Northland Memorial Park Cemetery.
In lieu of flowers, donations in her name may be made to Northwoods Choraliers (c/o Bonnie Dawson; 5379 Newman Dr; Rhinelander, WI) or the Oneida County Humane Society. You may leave your private condolences for the Bennett family at www.carlsonfh.com.
The Carlson Funeral Home (715-369-1414) is serving the Bennett family.
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