On Thursday afternoon, February 5, 2015, Kathleen Anne McCord’s battle with lung cancer came to an end, with family gathered around the bed in her Prior Lake home. Only 4 days short of Kathy’s 66 th birthday, her family will greatly miss her smile, the sound of her voice and her wonderful personality.
The family will greet Guests on Friday, February 13 from 4-7 pm, at Ballard-Sunder Funeral and Cremation 4565 Pleasant Street SE, Prior Lake and one hour prior to the mass at church. The Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Saturday, February 14, at 11 am, at the Church of St. Michael 16311 Duluth Avenue SE, Prior Lake, MN. Father Tom Sieg will preside. Interment will be at Credit River Cemetery.
On February 9, 1949, in St Paul Park, MN, Kathy was born the second of five children to parents, James Francis and Marie Theresa (Tschida) Mahoney. The family’s home at 901 Lincoln Street was grand central station, with an enormous back yard. A bit of a tom-boy, ‘Kats” was always in the center of the action. She enjoyed the long Highway 61 trips to Duluth with her parents visiting family and return a few weeks later by catching a train back home.
Attending St Thomas Aquinas Parochial School, Kathy was active in school activities at Park High School, where she graduated in 1967. Earning a nursing certificate from St. Cloud Nursing School, she formed lifelong friendships. To this day, ‘The Nurses’ who called her ‘Honey’, still actively meet several times a year and vacation together to celebrate important birthdays. Throughout Kathy’s career, she performed pre-school screening and later worked as a public health nurse for the Scott County Human Service, with a special focus on tuberculous and infectious diseases. She retired in 2011.
It only took a ½ inch on the map for Kathy to find true love. Stuck in a snow bank an hour away from UND (looking at a map, it was only ½ inch away), friends and her were rescued by some acquaintances, who drove to them during a snowstorm and one being Arch. They started communicating and on February 12, 1972 at St. Thomas Aquinas in Saint Paul Park, MN, Kathy and Arch exchanged wedding vows. They welcomed three boys into their lives, Terry, Adam and Christopher. Living for a few years in Canada, most of Kathy and Arch’s lives were spent in the Prior Lake area.
Family was the center of Kathy’s world. They enjoyed camping, spring break trips to Florida and family meals together. An amazing cook, Kathy was known for her homemade apple pies and strawberry jam. She was an avid reader, enjoyed working in her flower gardens, playing word with friends and decorating for the holidays. She too loved to exercise, cross country ski, hiking, soaking in the hot tub and being involved with the Sleepy Eye Biking Crew. As Kathy became an ‘ama’ (grandma), her world was completed, with every minute spent with them being a meaningful connection. An active and devoted member of the Church of St. Michael, she enjoyed teaching religion and volunteering with the Friends of Chimbote mission. She was affectionately named “La Madrina”.
Diagnosed with cancer in September of 2013, Kathy became the Commander and Chief of McCord’s Army, of all of the supporters in her journey. A wife, mother and ama of great compassion, generous spirit, and unconditional love, Kathy too had a great sense of humor and enjoyed life to the fullest.
Left to honor Kathy’s life and mourn the death is her husband Arch; sons, Terry (Jodi) McCord, Adam (Katie) McCord, Christopher (Joanna) McCord; grandchildren, Makenna, Grace, Dylan McCord; siblings, Mary (Dave) North, Patrick (Jan) Mahoney, Sue (John) Honsky, Nancy (Jack) Swanson; cousin, Ann Marie (Dick Dolezal) Mahoney; brothers and sisters-in-law, Carol Gerolami, Russ (Jo) McCord, Thomas (Patty) McCord, Jeanne (Grant) Leggett, Marge McCord; other loving relatives and lifelong friends.
Preceded in death and there to welcome Kathy home are her parents, Jimmy and Marie Mahoney; granddaughter, Madeline McCord; brothers-in-law, Dave McCord and Sergio Gerolami.
Ballard-Sunder Funeral Home and Cremation, Prior Lake Chapel, proudly served and cared for the McCord family. www.ballardsunderfuneral.com
