Kimmy’s personality was simply astounding. She would engage a person with the same enthusiasm and sense of interest no matter their appearance or background. Kimmy made friends everywhere she went and she was often on the go. A friend to a former senator and kindly to the market vendor just the same.
Kimmy went to Assumption high school and established life-long relationships that survived to her final days. She was a “nice to everyone” student. She and her husband Chris loved to travel and take their boys (the dogs Austin, Max and Marly) on road trips to California.
Kimmy was the best athlete in a family of five boys. She was an avid runner for many years and ran the Bix with her nieces and nephews. She was quite simply super fun! Her laughter was contagious and cousin Erin from Canada commented “Kimmy had a gift for making you feel like the most important person in the room.” She shared a special bond with her mother Mary Jo and always made sure everything was “in-order” for mom. She was quite simply generous to a fault.
Our sister’s caring personality and enthusiasm for “the good things in life” was reflected in her profession. Kimmy earned a double-major in Geriatrics and Hotel Restaurant Management at Iowa State. She went on to manage the Student Union at the University of Nebraska. She retired early and cared for her elderly Aunt Barbara for ten years.
Kimmy was a first rate event planner and cook. For her dad’s memorial in 2016 she handmade twelve kinds of salad dishes and “all the fixins'” for hundreds of guests all without missing a beat. She was a very gracious and fun loving host. Her caring and thoughtful nature combined with her enthusiasm for all things wonderful and delicious will be her legacy. She lived and loved life to the fullest. Her absence will leave a gap that cannot be filled.
Grateful for her life are her survivors: her husband, Chris; her mother, Mary Josephine; and four of her brothers, Mike, Mark, Phil, Greg; and her sister, Su Lee. Eleven nieces and nephews, Zach, Joel, Jessica, Sloan, Kelly, Laura, Mikey, Jennifer, Simona, Marco and Emilio. She was preceded in death by her brother, Vincent James (2010) and her father, James Patrick (2015).
A private service will be held in Lincoln, Neb. A memorial mass will be celebrated by her cousins Father Paul and Father John at St. Mary’s Parish in Sioux Falls, S.D. Kimmy will arrive at her final resting place beside her beloved Aunt Barbara in St. Michael’s Cemetery. In lieu of flowers take time – like Kimmy – to bring joy to those around you.
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