Kathleen Gingerich

KALONA ? Kathleen ?Kathy? Kay Gingerich, 68, of Walford, died Sunday, April 24, 2016, in the University of Iowa Hospitals in Iowa City from complications of AML (leukemia).

Celebration of life services will be held at 10:30 a.m., Thursday, April 28, at the Kalona United Methodist Church with the Rev. Gerry Kahler officiating. Burial will be at 2:30 p.m., Thursday in the National Cemetery in Vining. Visitation will be from 4 to 7 p.m., Wednesday at the Peterseim Funeral Home in Kalona. Memorials may be sent to Kalona United Methodist Church, American Cancer Society, or Palliative Care Center at UIHC.

Mrs. Gingerich was born March 2, 1948, in rural Elberon, the daughter of Wilfred and Emma (Vileta) Homolar. She married Clarence Gingerich on July 30, 1983.

She attended York No. 1 country school near Elberon, and Toledo, and graduated from Van Horne. She later attended nurses training at NIACC near Mason City to become an LPN. She was a coronary intensive care nurse at Schoitz Hospital in Waterloo, and opened Yore Uniform Store with several of her colleagues. She and one partner formed K Jean?s Uniform Store in Cedar Rapids. She went on to buy out her partner and open several locations in Cedar Rapids and Iowa City. After selling the uniform stores, she went back to nursing at the Kalona nursing home and had several other fun jobs during retirement. She never wanted to be too tied to a job to let it interfere with being ?Babi,? which is Czech for ?Grandma.? She also enjoyed two trips to Europe to visit her niece and family.

Surviving are two daughters, Karla Hoppes and husband Bob of Waterloo, and Jessica Maurer and husband Brett of Walford; five grandchildren; two sisters, Karen Walton of Farmington, and Jan Pooley and husband Dick of Cedar Rapids; five nieces and nephews; seven great-nieces and great-nephews; and one stepson, Doyle Gingerich.

She was preceded in death by her parents; her husband; one nephew; and one great-niece.