Kathleen "Kathy" D. Kind-Keppel

The compass and light of our family, Kathleen (Kathy) Dorothy Kind-Keppel, stepped into eternal peace surrounded by her husband and three children on September 28th, a week before her 78th birthday. Though her physical presence has left us, the bright path she carved remains forever.

Born on October 5th, 1948 to Leroy and Violet (Carroll) Kind in Sheboygan, Wisconsin, Kathy honored her namesake, “Kind” throughout her life. The second of five children and only daughter, Kathy had a wonderful childhood with trips up north to the family cottage, adventures with her four brothers, and a lifelong closeness to her mother and father. As Kathy grew, she met the love of her life, Jim Keppel. The two married in 1971 and just celebrated their 55th Anniversary this past summer. Kathy graduated from the University of Wisconsin - Milwaukee with a bachelors and masters degree in education and put these degrees to use through her work as a teacher, a tutor, and a school board member. Even though Kathy lived an extraordinary life with many accomplishments, to her, her greatest accomplishments were her three children and six grandchildren. Nothing was more important to Kathy than raising children who would go out and make a difference in the world. Her support was unwavering until the end.

Living out her faith, Kathy’s driving force as a human being was helping other people. Whether working with boundless patience to help students accomplish more than they thought possible, leading a parenting class where people could be vulnerable and honest, hosting holidays so that her family could connect and celebrate, or sitting next to a stranger, listening to their life story, Kathy loved to connect with, listen to, and support each person she met.

Picking the perfect combination of colors and shapes every spring and nurturing each flower with patience and dedication, Kathy cherished her time gardening and filling her home with fresh cut flowers. She loved cooking for others with her signature dishes like lasagna, barbecued hamburgers, the baked bean dish, poppyseed cake, and so much more. She also added to the beauty of the world through sewing, pottery, photography, and making art projects with her children and grandchildren.

She is survived by her husband, Jim Keppel, her three children: Heather Kind-Keppel (Todd Hauser), Joshua Kindkeppel (Caryn), and Amber Kind-Keppel (Scott Longden), her grandchildren: Eden, Isabelle, Ira, Flora, Brecker, and Ephram, brothers, Tom (Dawn) Kind and Tracy Kind, and many relatives, in-laws, and dear friends. Kathy was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, Tim and Terry Kind.

A Funeral Service will take place on Saturday, October 10, 2026 – 11:00 AM at United Methodist Church of Whitefish Bay, 819 E. Silver Spring Dr, Whitefish Bay, WI 53217. Visitation will be held at the church from 9:00 AM until 10:45 AM.