Kathleen Mary Carr's Obituary
Kathleen Mary Carr (Kmiec), 76, passed peacefully February 22, 2024, with her husband and sons at her side. Born March 9, 1947, to Irene A. Kmiec (Zolad) and Charles A. Kmiec in Chicago, Illinois, she was raised around her extended family in the predominantly Polish neighborhood of South Chicago.
A member of Bowen High School’s class of 1965 she went on to the University of Illinois-Circle campus where she graduated in 1969 with a bachelor’s in marketing. She was a James Scholar, on the Dean’s Student Advisory Board, and a member of Alpha Lambda Delta. Her senior year went beyond her expectations when she met this ‘intriguing Army guy from Colorado’ stationed at nearby Fort Sheridan. She married 1st Lt. Chuck Carr, her sweetheart for the past 55 years, at the Fort Sheridan Chapel on March 22, 1969, surrounded by family and friends. Following graduation, the Army moved the newlyweds to Hawaii for a year before returning to civilian life. They settled in Colorado where she worked briefly with the Forest Service, raised her family, and learned to ski so she could spend weekends with her family in the nearby mountains.
In 1978 an opportunity to start their own insurance adjuster franchise brought them to South Ogden, Utah with their two young sons. Partners until retirement, Kathy helped manage their company, Frontier Adjusters of Ogden. She eventually acquired her own Adjusters license to join Chuck in the field. They were lifetime Ganders of the Honorable Order of the Blue Goose, fraternal organization of workers in the Insurance industries.
In Ogden, she quickly made new friends as a member of the Beta Sigma Phi sorority. She took up golf, becoming a lifetime member of the Ogden Golf and Country Club(OGCC). As a member of the OGCC Ladies Golf Association, she met a great group of ladies that regularly gathered for golf, birthdays, celebrations, and generally just a lot of laughter, staying close to this day.
Kathy loved to stay active with her family: skiing, golfing, water skiing, running, supporting her kids ski racing and soccer games, and even playing soccer in an adult league coached by Chuck. She also loved the arts, attending many performances and festivals in Ogden, Sundance, Salt Lake City and Southern Utah.
As a charter member of Holy Family Catholic Church in South Ogden, Kathy was always active in church activities including her dedicated membership in the Council of Catholic Women (CCW). She has always taken great pride in the growth of the church from a storage center conference room to the beautiful facility that it has become today.
Kathy retired in 2002 after an auto accident left her with injuries resulting in incomplete paralysis, after which she was determined to fight as hard as she could to maintain her independence. With her strong will and sometimes stubborn persona, as well as the support of faith, family, and friends, she was able to surpass the prognosis that the doctors gave. She vowed to walk down the aisle for Mike’s wedding in March 2003, and she did! She even worked with the Adaptive Sports team at Snowbasin so she could sled-ski at Snowbasin in 2015 as a surprise for her grandkids on their annual ski trip, and even challenged them to race down Bear Hollow and School Hill. With the Ladies in Motion group at University of Utah, she was also able to kayak as well as other physical activities.
The past 22 years drove Kathy to adapt; she accepted nothing less. She never gave up her fight to overcome her obstacles and maintained her independence and household with the occasional assistance of her wheels. With her strong willed mindset, she never let her physical limitations define her, stubborn and a fighter till the end. Unfortunately the spinal cord injuries led to decreased strength and energy over the years, which ultimately contributed to breathing deficiencies that required use of a ventilator at the beginning of 2023 and her admittance into the loving hands of the staff of Western Peaks Specialty Hospital as she battled to overcome this final obstacle.
While she will be dearly missed, Kathy will be remembered for her perseverance, positive attitude, wide smile, and bright blue eyes.
Kathy is survived by her loving husband Chuck; two sons Mike (Noelle Briand) and Jeremy (Michael Quimby); grandchildren MacKenzie and Logan; brother Dennis Kmiec (Bobbie); niece Amelia (House) and nephew Jeff and their families; and her many cousins. She was preceded in death by her parents Charles and Irene Kmiec, and her beloved Uncle, Henry ‘Hank’ Kmiec.
The family would like to thank the Ogden Regional Hospital ICU, University of Utah ICU, and the amazing staff at Western Peaks Specialty Hospital in Bountiful for the care and support Kathy received over the past 13 months. Their professionalism and grace is truly appreciated as they assisted this wife, mother, grandmother and great friend in her fight to overcome this challenge and ultimately pass in peace and with dignity.
Funeral Mass will take place Thursday, May 30, 2024 at 11:00 am in the Holy Family Catholic Church, 1100 E 5550 S, Ogden, Utah. A Vigil will take place prior to the Mass at 10:30 in the same location. The interment will be at Lindquist Washington Heights Memorial Park, 4500 S Washington Blvd, Ogden, Utah. A luncheon will follow the interment at 1:00 pm at Holy Family Catholic Church.
In Lieu of Flowers Donations in Kathy’s memory can be made to:
● Catholic Community Services, Northern Utah https://www.ccsutah.org/donate
● United Spinal Association https://unitedspinal.org/support-our-mission/
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