Kathleen Kay Caul Kovac
Kathleen Kay Caul Kovac, 78, of Anna, died peacefully at home on Friday, March 26, 2021, outliving a nasty cancer diagnosis by nearly two years and remaining feisty until the end.
She was a relatively private person and didn’t like people poking their noses in her business, so we won’t tell you that she was born the day after Christmas in 1942 to Theodore John “Tate” Pagel and Lillie Blanche Pulliam Pagel. We won’t talk about her sharp business mind, her multi-million-dollar career as a real estate agent or the wall full of awards she received through the years.
We most definitely won’t mention anything about how she liked yellow roses, garage sales and thrift stores, the Oak Ridge Boys and Dolly Parton, surf and turf, camping in Arkansas, the Black Hills of South Dakota, crossword puzzles, Scrabble, Italian beef sandwiches and Chicago-style hot dogs.
And lemons. Lots of lemons.
She was a loving mother and grandmother who bragged about her children and grandchildren. She was funny, generous and often ornery – she sometimes described herself to others as “Mean Kathleen,” and with good reason.
We’ll leave it at that, as we’re well beyond the scope of what she wanted printed in the newspaper.
Kathleen is survived by her three children, Eric Christopher (Dr. Christine) Kovac, Marc Christian (Alison) Kovac and Amy (Joey Lovell) Caul. We won’t tell you where they live, since she wouldn’t want that.
Also surviving are grandchildren Zoe, Nikolai, Levko, Andrew, Alita, Anthony and Greyson; former husbands and loving fathers, Andrew Kovac and Theodor Caul; and Sherman Lee Mays, her special companion and love for many years.
She’ll miss Sherman’s children, including Sandra Pickel and Debbie Cunningham, and her best friend Gloria and Neil, and many others. Oh, and Toot Toot, the kitten who stayed close, especially in her final weeks.
The only thing she wanted written in her obituary, which you can read in her stylish handwriting on a piece of notebook paper penned a few months before her passing, were some lines about her faith in God and the assurance that comes to those who have put their trust in Jesus Christ: “I have stepped on shore and found it Heaven. I touch a hand and know it is God’s. I breathed new air and know it is celestial. I have awakened in Heaven and find it is home. I await my special loves and sweet family.”
A memorial service for Kathleen Kovac will be held Saturday, April 3, 2021, at 1 p.m. at Crain Funeral Home in Anna, with Pastor Mark Hasty officiating.
In lieu of flowers, go shopping at Goodwill, or hunt for some bargains at Kroger, where she once bought a pot roast for a quarter. No fooling.
To view the obituary or to leave an online condolence for the family, visit www.crainsonline.com.