Kathleen Anne Bawek was born Kathy Falk on August 24, 1957 in Aurora, Colorado. The 7th of 11 children of Donald and Helen Falk.
She would spend the first 11 years of her life growing up in Denver, Colorado before the family would relocate to Waterloo, Iowa in 1968.
Kathy would attend Columbus High School in Waterloo, Iowa from 1972 to 1976.
Some of her favorite childhood memories include sharing special moments with her dad Don when he would read to her or sing to her while she sat on his lap or occasionally playing hooky from school with her mother Helen.
Kathy would partake in a little adventure in her late teens, living with her oldest sister Michele while she attended the University of Wisconsin in Madison, working as a waitress and even appearing in a local production, and staying with her older sister Mary in Tempe, Arizona.
She would give birth to her one and only daughter, Erica Lynn Wilson on January 3, 1978.
From the moment Erica entered her life at the age of 20, they would be inseparable and create an unbreakable bond that would last a lifetime. They were more than mother and daughter, they were best friends. Who would speak to and confide in each other daily.
Being a mother was the greatest gift in Kathy’s life and the one thing that she wanted to do more than anything else in her time on this earth.
Kathy would meet a hardworking, strong, and caring man named Steve Bawek and they would marry on July 31, 1981.
They would welcome their first child together on September 7, 1982: Brandon Jeffery Bawek.
Having two wonderful children greatly fulfilled Kathy and her and Steve made the decision to relocate their young family to Tempe, Arizona in 1985.
Kathy would work in the grocery industry and Steve would work in construction and eventually Home Depot to support their family. Often working opposite shifts in order to prevent the need to childcare to give their kids the most love, support and attention they could. They were the ultimate team that always had each other’s back and made sacrifices daily to give their kids the best life they could.
While Kathy and Steve were happy would their four-person family, Kathy decided she wanted to try and have one more child in her early 30s.
After months of trying and almost giving up faith, they would succeed in adding the 5th and final member of their family as Ryan Donald Bawek was born on June 7, 1990.
Kathy and Steve would pass down their incredible work ethic, immeasurable love and respect for all members of society to their three children and teach them to live by the Golden Rule: treat others how you would like to be treated.
They would spend the remainder of the 1990s working hard to provide and support their family.
Kathy and her family would end the millennium on a high note as she had the joy of watching her daughter Erica marry the love of her life, Jason Catron, on March 27, 1999.
Erica and Jason would welcome their first child into the world on September 15, 1999: Kyra Taleen Catron.
Erica’s first daughter’s middle named would be to honor her husband Jason Catron’s mother Donita and Kathleen.
Being a grandmother brought boundless joy to Kathy as she did whatever she could to make her grandchildren feel loved, secure and cared for from the moment they were born and passed down her incredible maternal instincts to her daughter Erica.
Erica and Jason would welcome another grandchild into the world on April 7, 2001: Keely Jae Catron.
After 17 years of living in Tempe, Steve and Kathy would save up the money to build their dream home in Maricopa, Arizona that they would move into in October of 2002.
Soon thereafter Kathy would transfer to the first grocery store in the city of Maricopa and work overnight as the Scan Coordinator at Bashas.
Despite working a grueling overnight schedule, she would manage to make every single basketball game, school event or milestone moment for her kids. Just one of a million ways in which she adorned them with the kind of love and support that only a mother as special as Kathy could provide.
She would be overjoyed to welcome a third grandchild on December 22, 2004: Kayler Steven Catron.
His middle name chosen to honor his grandpa Steve.
Kathy spent the remainder of her 2000s living in her dream home in Maricopa and spending all of her free time being the best mother and grandmother she could be, the one thing that brought her the most joy and purpose in the world.
She would travel to Hawaii with Erica and Jason and her grandkids in December of 2007 and although they experienced a ton of rain in their week in paradise, it was still a trip packed with memories and love.
With Erica building her own family and memories and Brandon carving his own path in life and following her footsteps in the grocery industry, Kathy and Steve would make the decision to downsize a bit and move into another home on Chimayo Court in Maricopa with their youngest son Ryan.
That home is where she would spend the last 11 years of her life building more and more memories with her husband Steve and her children and grandchildren and nurturing them into become the wonderful people that they have become.
After 40+ years of being in the workforce to support herself and her family, Kathy would retire and embark on a new journey doing the thing that she was most meant to do on this earth: be a caretaker.
She nannied for three years for two twin girls Ava and Adele and was content without the stresses of the daily work grind and the ability to spend almost all of her time doing what she loved the most, spending time with family and living live on her own terms.
She would spend her 60th birthday with many of the people she loved most in her first visit to the greatest city on earth, New York City. Having her birthday dinner in an Italian restaurant in Times Square, seeing all of the sights and sounds of the Big Apple and even getting to go next to the stage for a concert in the middle of Rockefeller Center during a live broadcast of her favorite morning news show, The Today Show.
She would be over the moon to watch her son Brandon get married in San Francisco on September 1, 2019 and welcome a new daughter into her life with his beautiful wife Oriana.
A week later she would embark on the biggest adventure of her lifetime with her son Ryan, going on an 18-day European adventure with bookend stops in New York City on the way there and back.
It was the true mother-son trip of a lifetime as she was able to see some of the world’s greatest treasures and sites with one of her greatest gifts and her son was eternally grateful and overcome with joy to see the wonder in her eyes as she marveled at all the history and beauty. They would visit, Rome, Venice, Paris, Madrid and even her mother’s homeland and her Sweeney family roots (her mother’s maiden name) in Dublin, Ireland.
It was the travel highlight and a bucket list item achieved for Kathy to see more of the beautiful world she inhabited and made more beautiful every day with her mere presence.
She would commemorate the trip with a scrap book that immortalized and encapsulate the lifetime of memories for eternity, a gift that Ryan and the rest of her family will cherish for the rest of their days.
Soon after her trip, Kathy would be diagnosed with cancer in November of 2019 and undergo her surgery in December of 2019.
She would do chemotherapy and radiation in February and March of 2020 and be considered in recovery by April of 2020, displaying her incredible, strength, toughness, grit and faith throughout the whole process with her family by her side.
Like many other people across the globe, the COVID-19 pandemic would have a great affect on her and her family’s life as she would spend the rest of her days at home to allow her immune system to recover and stay safe and healthy, only leaving for her doctor’s appointments and treatments and the occasional bingo night at the Catron household.
The pandemic and her treatment would cause her son Ryan and his fiancée and her soon to be daughter-in-law Aubrey to push back their wedding to 2021.
After a valiant fight and displaying the sort of strength, grace and toughness that only Kathy could as the matriarch and head of her family, Kathy Bawek would pass away peacefully on May 29, 2021 with her family by her side showering her with their love and appreciation.
While Kathy wasn’t there in physical form to celebrate what would have been her 40th wedding anniversary with Steve on July 31, 2021, to see her youngest son Ryan get married to the love of his life Aubrey Utter and officially welcome her newest daughter to the family on October 29, 2021, or be there to watch any future grandchildren grow up and build upon the family legacy she created, she will always be there in spirit.
Kathy leaves a lasting legacy of deep, unconditional love and touched the lives of every single person she came into contact with in her life as the rare breed of human being that is driven completely by love and support for all people and the world around her. The kind of person who didn’t want any of the attention or spotlight but wanted to shine her light on the world to make it a better place and she did every single day.
She wrote this poem in her notebook in her final days as a message to her family and all those that loved her:
“When you need me, but do not want me, then I will stay…
When you want me, but no longer need me, then I have to go…
When tomorrow starts without me don’t think we’re far apart, for everytime you think of me I’m right there in your heart.
I know we’ll meet again in another life elsewhere, and those very special moments we once again will share…
I know you miss me, just remember I am free. Free from pain and sorrow, God’s love fills each tomorrow. My love is in your heart, we’ll never be apart.
Cherish the love we share, remember how much I care. Someday we will be together because love lives forever.
Till we meet again.”
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