Kathleen Whitbeck

Kathleen Ann Whitbeck, 63, of De Pere, passed away on October 14, 2026, surrounded by her loving family. Kathy was born on July 30, 1963 in Green Bay to Jerry and Judy (Van Gemert) Whitbeck.

In her own words:

One of the advantages of slowly dying of metastatic breast cancer is that you have time to write your own obituary. You have time to learn new things like how to riff on the piano. I had fun in the later years unlocking the mysteries of the keyboard and going to adult Piano Camp. I don’t know if I got enough out of my Pianote Lifetime membership.

Re-inventing volunteerism led to transcribing nearly 1,000 Revolutionary War pension files for the National Archives.

Even in disability I found the time to indulge my science genes and applied them to emerging medicine – working with Mayo to map the best evidence-based path through MBC, contributing to scientific discovery – I participated in 10 studies including two clinical trials. For those following the numbers, the final count was 48,809 miles to and from 802 doctor appointments. 

For the record, the BA was in Psychology (with an organization behavior emphasis) with a minor in French. The Masters was a MS in Scientific and Technical Communications. Over the years I fed my geek gene by driving quality into emerging telecommunications and internet technologies and translating engineer-speak to real people speak.

Thank you to everyone who indulged my travel whims – my final tally was all 50 states and 14 countries (US, Mexico, Canada, Iceland, Greenland, Italy, France, Monaco, Germany, Switzerland, Austria, England, Scotland, and Japan). Without Mary Kay I never would have found myself mobbed by sledge dog puppies or hopping happily from rock-to-rock on the arctic tundra (Greenland). Thank you to Ryan – he comes highly recommended as a travel buddy – Maine, Mallig (Scotland) and even Mayo. Connie, too many favorite memories…tops of mountains, epic cliffs, terrifying rides down Irish paths, Penny Lane, flower festivals, the lighthouse in Maine. 

My huckleberry friends, there is some unfinished travel business. Would someone please take Sarah to Canada? Call ahead, make sure Canada is open and that her passport is valid. Someone needs to take Connie to Sumbaugh Head lighthouse on the southern tip of Shetland in May or June to see the Puffins up close.

Special thanks to Gigi at Whitehead Lightstation and the community of knitters that have added depth and richness to my life. Especially Gigi for creating and hosting the perfect retreat spot. And the Friday night knitting group epitomizes the sisterhood.

Thank you to New Perspective/Story Point for creating an environment where I could continue to thrive to the best of my abilities.

I’ve been thinking about who I’d like to meet in the afterlife: family obviously, but after translating close to 20,000 pages of Revolutionary War pension files I’d like a chat with George Washington and my 5th great-grampa Jabez Berry. I’d like to hear his story about capturing the spy firsthand.

Madam DeFarge. I know she’s fictional, but I’d like to sit and knit a row with the woman.

And a few others like Ruth Bader Ginsberg. What was she thinking? 

I’m also happy to haunt anyone you need haunted; just send me a telepathic message.

I’ll miss winter breaks with Bob, Jennifer, and Thomas, and cowboy breakfasts and morning campfires, and time with Sarah, Ryan, and Sam. They really are the best people. 

Liam said I was “badass.” Thank you, Liam. I hope I approached this journey with a bit of grace and style.

Remember to put your own oxygen mask on first – take care of yourself before taking care of others. Having said that, take care of each other. 

After all is said and done, have a groovy day.

Kathy graduated from West De Pere High School, Class of 1981. After graduating, she continued her education at the University of Minnesota.

Kathy is survived by her children: Sarah Buechel (Scott Gustafson), Onalaska, WI; Ryan Buechel, Chicago, IL; Samuel Buechel (Karen Ortega), Kimberly, WI; her siblings: Mary Kay Milquet (David Teddy), Wrightstown, WI; Robert Whitbeck (Jennifer Greunke), De Pere, WI; and Barbara Rennert (Raymond), Pooler, GA; Kathy is further survived by many nieces and nephews, other relatives, and her special friends: Connie Schultz, Kathy Wallace, and Mary Kay Van Sistine.

Kathy is preceded in death by her parents; her maternal and paternal grandparents: Arlene (Hermsen) and Clement Van Gemert, and Eunice (Timmerman) and Richard Whitbeck; and her uncle, David Whitbeck.

Private services at Allouez Catholic Cemetery.