I was born 1 March, 1945 in Germany, the first born of a set of identical twins. Despite of the fact that I
weighed less than two pounds, and my twin sister only a little more than two pounds, we were tough little girls and
made it through the post-war hard times with little food, cold winters, leaky roofs and no light at night because
of the required black-outs. I had wanted to become a doctor ever since I could remember, but due to health
problems I was unable to attend the necessary school to attain my goal. At the age of 16 I fulfilled a dream of
mine, coming to the United States as a student. All by myself I boarded a train to Amsterdam and set sail on a
ship by the same name, arriving in Hoboken, NJ seven days later. It was an experience I will never forget. I spent
six months in this country, learning to speak the language, some what. (I still speak with a bit of an accent.)
When I returned I was accepted as the youngest student into nursing college. My father had his reservations as he
hoped I would become a theatre actress. At the age of 19, I met my husband, an American soldier, the father of
my 4 children. Three sons and a daughter. We lived in Germany for a year before coming back to America and living in
Great Bend, KS. What a culture shock that was !! I then learned that my nursing degree would not be accepted in
this country. I was devastated. And, since I didn't write or speak English well enough to take the American exams, I
had to adjust to the disappointment. I started to raise and show horses. My hobby eventually turned into a business
as I became a trainer and riding teacher. A story I wrote about one of my horses was published in Horse & Rider
magazine. After 20 years, my marriage ended in divorce. I moved to Phoenix, AZ where I stayed for 14 years. I loved
it there, but eventually moved back to Kansas in 1995. I received my certification as a telemetry technition and
worked at Salina Regional Health Center for 10 years. In March of 2005 I was introduced to R. Lyle Brown through
a computer dating website. And the rest is history.
On June 14, 2012 Kathy passed away two weeks before our 6th wedding anniversary, the result of pancreatic cancer discovered less than six weeks prior. We had
purchased a home in Lyle's hometown that she was remodeling with the intent of retiring there. She is interred in the
Fairview Cemetery in Smith Center.
