I say sadly passed away - it's sad for those of us left behind who will mourn her and miss her, as I'm writing this I still can't believe she's gone. But for Kathleen, with a strong belief in god it's happy that she's free from pain and in heaven.
Kathleen was a person who was always well, there. If you needed her, she was there. She was there at Christmas - hers was one of the first Christmas cards to arrive and she made beautiful Christmas cakes for family members. She usually visited between Christmas and New Year. At all family occasions she was there. She always had a warm hug for you. She used to ask questions about what you were doing and your life - sometimes bordering on prying questions - but she could keep her counsel and was never judgemental. I'm struggling to come to terms with the face that she's no longer "there".
The most fantastic thing about Kathleen however is the way she was loved and part of the Chinese and Asian student community in York. Her home is situated a stones throw from the University in York and for the last 30 years she has welcomed students into her home not only as lodgers but also as a place to meet on a Friday night for the York Chinese Christian Fellowship (YCCF). Each Christmas day any Chinese students were welcomed to her home and she would serve Christmas dinner for 30+ people at a time.
The YCCF became Kathleen's family. She travelled to weddings in Hong Kong and attended Christenings as guest of honour. She died holding hands with two of her Chinese friends who she considered her family.
I am humbled this week by all I have learnt about her relationship and what she has done for her Chinese friends. The outpouring of emotion on her Facebook page has been phenomenal.
I am blessed to have been born into the same family as her. Throughout her life she simply quietly went about her business it is only in death that some of us have come to realise and appreciate what a massive impact her love and care for others has made on so many lives.
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