Katherine 'Kay' Wheeler, 92
Katherine "Kay" Wheeler died, surrounded by her family, on the evening of April 14, 2009, at the Immanuel Lutheran Home in Kalispell. Kay was born on New Year's Day, 1917, in Kenyon, Minn., to Michael Hugh and Amanda (Furu) Sweeney.
The fourth of eight children, Kay was the salutatorian of her Kenyon High School class and went on to study nursing at Great Falls Deaconess Hospital and Montana State College. After receiving her registered nurse degree, Kay married Harry C. Wheeler in December 1938 in Kalispell's United Methodist Church. They were married for 63 years.
Kay and Harry Wheeler had three children, Barbara, Clark and Scott. They moved from Great Falls to Billings, where Harry served as the administrator of the Deaconess Hospital. Kay was an active member of PEO, the Order of the Eastern Star, and the Deaconess Hospital Auxiliary.
Kay and Harry moved to Spokane in 1955. Together, they helped build the Deaconess Medical Center and mentored hundreds of interns, nurses and other medical professionals. Kay remained active in PEO, the Girl Scouts of America, and the Hospital Auxiliary.
In 1982, Kay was honored as Spokane's Woman of the Year. Upon Harry's retirement that year, they achieved their lifetime dream of returning to the Flathead VaIley to live on their family place in the West Valley. For the next 20 years, Kay and Harry enjoyed their neighbors and family in the beauty of their chosen home.
Kay was predeceased by her daughter, Barbara Schustrom, in 1990; and her husband, Harry, in 2001.
She is survived by her sons, Clark and his wife, Jennifer Voermans Wheeler, and Scott and his wife, Jane Ennis Wheeler; and Barbara's husband, Bill Schustrom. Kay's children, eight grandchildren and nine great-grandchildren will miss their "Mor Mor," as they all knew her. She also deeply touched the lives of Vern and Judy Nelson and their family, widening in a wonderful way, the circle of love and caring that Kay created wherever she went in her long and fortunate life.
A family memorial will be held this summer. Johnson-Gloschat Funeral Home is caring for Kay's family.