This memorial website was created in memory of Kathy Arnold (09/21/1952 - 01/13/2016, age 63). She will be greatly missed by her parents, sisters, children, grandchildren and many other friends and family. We will remember her forever.
Please feel free to upload photos and videos. We will be putting together a video for her Celebration of Life in March. Work, dancing, dragon boating...whatever you have!
Tributes
Leave a tributeMiss you so very much. Alex and Sam have got so big and I see so much of you in my parenting of teenagers. Sam gets sad when she realizes her memories of someone that loved her so much feel distant. Alex’s appearance and mannerisms often remind me of you - interesting to know a version of you both older and younger than me. So wish you were here to share all of life’s little moments.
Love,
Mikki
Liz Armitage
Miss you Mom. Doesn't feel like it has been three whole years. I still hear your voice in my mind as if it were yesterday, I still think I should call and tell you all the cool things that happen during the day, and I still miss you, just as much as three years ago. You are forever with me in my heart.
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Today my mom would be 66. Before she left I agreed to remember her on her birthday with joy, rather than on the day she died with sorrow. I'm still working on keeping that promise :).
So today I was thinking of you mom and remembering things that made me smile. Here are some quotes from my mom:
"If you are going to do something, do it right or don't bother!"
"If I worked that slow, people would die!" (she was a labtechnologist sometimes running time critical tests)
"You are not the only person on this planet, you might want to remember that."
"You are just going to have to deal."
"No point worrying about something you can't change."
"Ok yes, I did run over the cat. I'll get you another one."
"How am I suppose to know where your keys are?"
"You can make your own damn lunch then."
"WHO put that bucket of water above the door?"
"Love you...talk to you anon."
I snuck out of work early to surprise the girls in the lunchroom at school. Their smiles and hugs were perfect for today. We will be having hot dogs, chip and dip, and a vegetable plate for dinner (no clue where dipping cheese in ranch dip arose from). My mom hated cake, but the girls and Kirk have insisted on something chocolate!
It doesn't seem like it has been two years, but I think if I could talk to you on the phone we would probably talk for days before we caught up on all that has happened. We miss you, but you are still here everywhere - the dream catchers hanging in the girls' rooms, the knitted blankets they snuggle with each night, the photos on our walls, the phrases that I scream at them (like "what were you thinking?", "if you are going to do it, do it right", "don't be so stupid"), the meals we cook and the lullaby we sing every night. You live as part of our home every day.
And we kept our promise and did not "make a fuss" remembering this day. You said you thought it was dumb to remember the one day someone died instead of all the days they lived...so we did that, we shared stories, and we can do that now with more smiles than tears :). We "make a fuss" on your birthday instead!
Alex announced she planned to live at least one day longer than her last child, so none of them had to be sad missing her like me. Sam misses her Grandma and probably still gets sadder than me. It's hard to believe she was only in first grade when you left.
Some people add lots to the lives of all those they encounter, and you were one of these people. "To live in the hearts of those we love is not to die." It's wonderful to read words from some of the people whose lives you were a part of.
Love you Mom,
Mikki"
Memories ar so alive and fresh, and will be for me, till I am alive.
Just checkin in to say Hi Glad that you are free to kick up your heels and dance between the rainbows with all the other Angels. Yes you are still missed down here and always will be. Hey if ya happen to see my Mom and Brother around, would you give them a hug too from me Your friend Liz
With love
Liz
Hope you have settled up there nicely and are kickin up a line dance storm. With love. Liz Armitage
Wed. night dancing and seeing you at the workshops - see you
on the other side - keep on dancing and laughing. love barb hall
I have only slipped away to the next room.
I am I and you are you.
Whatever we were to each other, that, we still are.
Call me by my old familiar name.
Speak to me in the same way which you always used.
Put no difference into your tone.
Wear no forced air of serenity or sorrow.
Laugh as we always laughed at the little jokes we enjoyed together.
Play, smile, think of me. Pray for me.
Let my name be ever the household word that it always was.
Let it be spoken without effect.
Without the trace of a shadow on it.
Life means all that it ever meant.
It is the same that it ever was.
There is absolute unbroken continuity.
Why should I be out of mind because I am out of sight?
I am waiting for you, for an interval, somewhere, very near.
Just around the corner, all is well
I have known Kathy most of my professional career, a career which she was very passionate about. She was always giving of her time and openly shared her extensive knowledge with others. She was an avid professional volunteer, which is where we spent many outs together. My greatest regret is that I never saw her dance......and I know she loved dancing. I hope you are dancing more now my friend......
My deepest Condolences to Kathy's family. May it help in some small way to know that others care.
You will be forever missed and remembered by me.
We are so sorry for your loss. Our thoughts, love and prayers are with you. Take good care and Godspeed. I came across a quote (unknown source) the other day and thought you and your family might appreciate it:
Grief never ends, but it changes.
It is a passage, not a place to stay.
Grief is not a sign of weakness, nor a lack of faith.
It is the price of Love.
Take good care dear friends,
Rose, Francis, Riley Stewart
Moose Jaw, Sk.
Thank you for forty-five years of the most wonderful memories.
You were an awesome partner, mom, grandma, sister, daughter, friend, colleague and human being. You made a difference in so many peoples lives, especially mine. Yes my love you will truly be missed but will live forever in many hearts. Everyone knows we have an angel looking out for us. Thank you for loving me. Thank you for being in my life. Thank you for everything. Hugs and Kisses and All My Love Forever.
Bob & Dot
XO Tamara (Winch) and family
Love Anne xoxoxo
Leave a Tribute
Miss you so very much. Alex and Sam have got so big and I see so much of you in my parenting of teenagers. Sam gets sad when she realizes her memories of someone that loved her so much feel distant. Alex’s appearance and mannerisms often remind me of you - interesting to know a version of you both older and younger than me. So wish you were here to share all of life’s little moments.
Love,
Mikki
Liz Armitage
Please be patient.
Please be patient.
The Lab
My mom had so many friends and wonderful memories from the lab. I remember back in the 90s when new software was introduced, the logout command for the software was ",bye" and I believe several people at the lab adopted saying "comma bye" when they left for the end of the day. Mom and I would still often use that to end our phone conversations even recently "love you...comma bye!".
Mom was late one day to work in the 80s (most likely due to us kids) and she showed up at work wearing a paperbag on her head. Paperbag jokes were then being made about for years afterwards, my favorite of which was a picture that showed up taped to her locker - with a bunch of people standing with bags over their heads and a handwritten caption below "Kathy's family reuinion".
Mom also said she hated Valentine's Day (even though she would often hang a little bagie of candies on our bedroom door handles for us to find on Valentine's morning)...she said it was the silliest holiday ever and she had no idea why anyone would celebrate it. Several guys at work took this to be a challenge and each year various chocolates and flowers would show up for her at the lab, all of which made her smile. I'm not sure she hated Valentine's Day as much as she pretended.
After retiring from the lab she loved going out for the lunches with all the retired folk.
Her lab friends are an awesome group of people that is the biggest reason why she loved her work so much!
Thanks Liz, Ingo and Christine for pictures. If anyone else has any, feel free to upload them or email them to me.
Life
Kath
Lived life to the fullest even after being diagnosed with cancer. She never complained and enjoyed every moment of life.
She laughed tons, lived all out, and loved always and of course danced as much as she could. She was truly remarkable and inspirational. She truly smelled the roses and found joy in what she had not what she lost. My journey begain 45 years ago with Kath and I loved her from the beginning to forever. I was one lucky man to have found her. She made my life complete and I'm so thankful for her. A few years ago my son Chris looked at his mom and said "Mom you were a machine" You were 32 with four children six years apart in age all involved in activities, you were working, running children to doctors and you still made sure special occassions were special. You made meals cleaned house went to all parent teacher interviews. He couldn't believe how she kept it all together and with all this she made life long friends and was there for them when needed. A truly remarkable woman and human being. Bravo Kath Bravo
Dancing
My mom loved dancing as a child, and possibly even more so as an adult. She loved the music, loved the feeling of dancing and most importantly loved all of her dancing friends. The past year the dancers went out of their way to bring food, drive to chemo appointments, drop by for visits and find ways to keep mom dancing even on weeks she was feeling poor from the chemo. She said she always noticed a big difference in how she felt after getting some dancing in. Dance classes have been unpredictable and inconsistent over the past few years, but everyone just happily rolled with it. Mom's dancing friends had a special place in her heart.
Thanks Sandy Kidd for the recent set of photos I added to the photo gallery! If others have photos, feel free to upload them or if you want to contact me for an email address, I can give that out for you to send photos to and then I can upload them for you.
Michelle/Mikki