Mary Catherine Stallbaumer

Mary Catherine "Cathy" Stallbaumer, 62, of Paola passed away at the Olathe Hospice House on February 2, 2017. She was born January 4, 1955, in Paola to Elmer L. and Margaret L. (Henry) Colson. She attended elementary school at Holy Trinity School in Paola and graduated from Paola High School in 1973. She studied social work at Washburn University, earned her bachelor"s degree May 2000 and went on to complete her master"s degree in May 2002. Cathy was united in marriage to Michael P. Stallbaumer on August 10, 1974, at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Paola. They lived in Wichita and Louisburg, KS, before moving to Paola to settle down and raise their family. Before attending Washburn, she worked at Lakemary in Paola, in the superintendent of school"s office for a year before working as secretary at Sunflower Elementary. Cathy completed her degrees by attending Washburn nights and weekends while employed at Sunflower, taking care of her family, and never missing one of Matt"s and Melissa"s activities. She was employed by Johnson County Human Services as the coordinator of the Spring Hill Civic Center from 2000 to 2004. From August 2004 to June 2016, when she retired, she was the school social worker for Sunflower Elementary School, in Paola. Cathy was a member of the Holy Trinity Catholic Church. She was a board member of the Paola Community Center, loved volunteering her time in the Paola Community Garden of Hope, and was instrumental in starting the Girls on the Run after school program for Sunflower Elementary. She enjoyed following the Kansas Jayhawks and the Kansas City Royals, as well as playing marathon rounds of Pitch during family gatherings. She enjoyed family reunions, socializing with the "Seminar Girls", frequent sleepovers with her granddaughters in Paola and attending their activities, visiting her son and his family in Florida to watch baseball and attend her grandkids activities, and she enjoyed a trip to London, Paris, Florence, and Rome. Her compassion, generosity, and hospitality will be celebrated, remembered, and missed. Survivors include her son Matthew and his wife Kristina Stallbaumer, of Tampa, FL; her daughter Melissa and her husband Craig Browning, of Paola, KS; and five grandchildren Cameron, Reese, Madyson, Emersyn, and Marlee; two brothers Ted Colson of Bentonville, AR, and Tom Colson and his wife, Diane, of Tulsa, OK; one sister Jean Ostmeyer, of Hutchinson, KS; and two sisters-in-law Jeanne Colson of Sun City West, AZ, and Allison Colson of Parsons KS. She was preceded in death by her husband Mike, two brothers, Fred Colson, and Dan Colson, sister-in-law Donna Colson, brother-in-law Dale Ostmeyer, and her parents. Memorials to Sunflower Elementary, Holy Trinity, or Olathe Hospice House, may be left at or mailed to Penwell-Gabel Funeral Home, 305 N. Pearl St., Paola KS, 66071. To share a memory of Cathy or leave a special condolence message for her family, please click the "Share Memories" tab. Holy Trinity Catholic Church Service: Tuesday, February 7, 2017 at 10:00am Visitation: Monday, February 6, 2017 from 5:00pm to 7:30pm