Mary Kathryn (Keller) Wait ….
Mary Kathryn
(Keller) Wait 1921-2022
Mary Kathryn ( Keller) Wait, a resident of Seal Beach, California, died in October at the age of 101 years.
Katie was born in 1921, the ninth of ten children of James and Louise Keller, who lived and farmed outside the small southern Illinois village of Ste. Marie.
Katie attended school in Ste. Marie and in Newton, Illinois. She graduated as a registered nurse from the St. John’s Hospital School of Nursing in Springfield, Illinois.
While working as a private nurse in Decatur, Illinois, she met William A. Wait, whom she married in September 1944.
They had four children: daughters Pamela (Don Miles) of Seattle, Washington; Martha (Lester Hubner) of Huntington Beach, California; Carolyn (Bob Davenport) of North Brookfield, Massachusetts; and a son, Douglas (Sharon Leavitt) of Chapel Hill, North Carolina. Katie and Bill lived in Decatur until they relocated to Seal Beach in 1997. They were married for 69 years.
Katie was a warm, engaging person who loved the company of her large extended family and her many friends.
True to her nursing profession, she willingly assisted and cared for numerous family members, friends and acquaintances in many ways. She was an active member of St. Patrick’s Catholic Church in Decatur.
An enthusiastic gardener, she was a member of the garden clubs in Decatur and Seal Beach and enjoyed watching over her beloved roses until the end. She belonged to several bridge clubs and book clubs, and loved hosting them.
She had a creative sense of style which she expressed in decorating her home, quilting, and trying out new recipes.
Katie was famous for her delicious pies, cookies and cakes. She enjoyed accompanying her husband and family on numerous trips throughout the country, Europe, and the Pacific. Her grandchildren and great-grand children were her special joy.
Katie is survived by her four children, nine grandchildren and 11 great-grandchildren. The family would like to especially thank her wonderful caregivers over the past few years: Anne, Fines, Leonora, Harley, Cecilia, Susan, Africa, Verna Liza, Margie, Thelma and Bernie.
There will be a memorial Mass celebrated at Holy Family Church in Leisure World, Seal Beach, on Nov. 5. Interment will be in Assumption, Illinois.
Do not be sad that she is gone; rejoice that she was here.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in her memory to the Kemmerer Village Child Care Agency, 941 N. East Road, Assumption, Illinois 62510, or the Sainte Marie Foundation, P.O. Box 186, Sainte Marie, Illinois 62549.
