Kathleen Franke

Kathleen "Kay" Franke died September 11, 2012 at her home surrounded by her family after a courageous battle with cancer. Kay was born August 31, 1942 to John J. and Dorothy M. Spielbusch Lynch in Iola, Kansas. She graduated from Yates Center High School in Yates Center, Kansas in 1960. She moved to Kansas City and worked as an EEG Technician at St. Mary"s Hospital. Kay was introduced to her future husband by their mutual friends. She married Louis J. Franke on September 28, 1968 at St. Martin"s Catholic Church in Piqua, Kansas. They became the parents of four children. Kay was active in PTO while the kids were in school and was fondly remembered for her home-made ice cream on the last day of school. She was a member of the Hillsdale Elementary site council until the school"s closing in 2011. Kay worked as a waitress at Hillsdale Bank BBQ, at the strawberry patch in Hillsdale, and as an election poll worker in South Marysville Township and eventually became a supervising judge. Kay was a member of Hillsdale Happy Homemakers, Holy Trinity Catholic Church and its altar society. She served many funeral dinners and enjoyed working in the cafeteria for the annual bazaar. Kay enjoyed gardening, cooking, sewing, canning, watching hummingbirds, word search puzzles and spending time with family and friends. A special thank you goes to Dr. Corum and his staff (Jessie, Bonnie, Lauren, Amber and Teresa) and to Hospice of Olathe Medical Center (Darcy, Kristin, Greg, and Karen) for their care and support. She was preceded in death by her parents, John and Dorothy Lynch. She is survived by her spouse of 43 years, Louis; her children, Kelly, Curtis, Craig and Krista, all of Paola; brothers, JC (Barbara) of Lawrence, KS and Marvin (Cathy) of Iola, KS; sister, Sharon, of Iola, KS; and many cousins, nieces, nephews, and friends. Memorial contributions may be given to Holy Trinity Endowment. To share a memory of Kathleen or leave a special condolence message for her family, please click the Send a Message button above. Holy Trinity Catholic Church Service: Monday, September 17, 2012 at 11:00 AM Visitation: Monday, September 17, 2012 from 9:00 AM to 10:30 AM