Kathryn Ann Begnaud December 17, 1951 – March 08, 2019 Share this obituary Sign Guestbook| Send Sympathy Card BEGNAUD, KATHRYN ANN Age 67, of Woodbury, MN Passed away peacefully surrounded by her loving family on March 8, 2019, after a courageous battle with ALS. Born December 17, 1951 in Fort Frances, Ontario, to James and Marilyn Lynch, she was the oldest of eleven children. Married the love of her life Blake Begnaud on August 14, 1971.
Together, they raised five boys, Toby (Ann-Marie), Tommy, Joe (Angie), Mick (Sarah), and Aaron (Samantha). Preceded in death by her parents; sister, Erin Bjorklund; infant brother, Daniel Timothy; mother-in-law, Phyllis Berde; father-in-law, Paul Begnaud; niece, Kateri Howard; nephew, David Isaacs. Survived by her husband; children; grandchildren (Toby) Aiden, Sophie, Jack, (Joe) Ella, Grace, Evelyn, Nolan, (Mick) Kayne, (Aaron) Olivia, Paige, Marlee; and siblings Pat (Maureen), Mike (Judy), Missy (Rick) Huff, Mary Isaacs, Cindy (Gary) Fasching, Dena (Jason) Hagberg, Annie, Jim (Alison), Dan.
Visitation will be held at Guardian Angels Catholic Church, 8250 4th St N, Oakdale, on Monday, March 11 from 5 PM to 8 PM. Funeral service will be held at Guardian Angels on Tuesday, March 12 at 11 AM with visitation 1 hour prior. In lieu of flowers, memorials preferred to The ALS Association, MN/ND/SD Chapter.
The family would like to extend their gratitude and love to the many who supported Kathy during her battle with ALS. Among them, Dr. David Walk, ALS Clinic at University of Minnesota; Anne S, Jennifer M, and everyone at the ALS Association; the infusion nurses at Fairview; the hospice team at Fairview; the nursing team at Pillars Hospice Home; and of course, the countless friends and family who sent cards, food, prayers, and helped in her care. Kathy was a beacon of love to countless, and in so many ways.
Wife. Mother. Grandmother.
Sister. Daughter. Friend.
She loved her grandkids immensely, from teaching them clothes-pin-doll making, to recommending the next GREAT book they should read, to spoiling them with shopping trips for their favorite clothes, garage sale treasures, or giving the OK on a brownie for breakfast. She was a faith-filled disciple of Jesus Christ. As an active participant of Guardian Angels Catholic Church for more than forty years, her voice was heard through lay preaching, music ministry, and as an advocate for social justice.
She was a prolific writer and a lover of literature, maintaining even to the end her ranked and categorized archive of the hundreds of books she’d read through the years. Her sons would say that she combined the science of story-telling with the art of embellishing like none other. She loved to experience life, from the summers with Blake and the boys fishing and swimming at Lake Minnewawa; to the outrageous “Virginia Slims” weekends with her sisters; from quick getaways with Blake to Laughlin to try their luck at video poker; to winters of food, music, and laughter with the Begnaud-Richards in Scott, LA; and so, so many more.
It’s impossible to summarize here who Kathy was: the passions that drove her, the faith that filled her, the lives on which she has left an indelible imprint on their hearts, in their minds, and in their actions. If you knew her, you know. Instead, we share below a few short excerpts of Kathy’s own words from her years as a preacher and writer, if it may help in your own reflection and healing.
From a homily asking, “How might our lives change if we knew the day and time of our own deaths? ”, she reflected: “For our walls too get old and sag, our plumbing weakens, our electrical currents will slow down. The day will come when we too with crumble.
We come together each week with that sure knowledge buried somewhere in the back of our minds; hoping this is not “our week”, hoping we are working out our lives’ purpose in God’s eyes, praying for the grace to see the longer view and our place in it. And we do have a vital place in it. The work we are called to cannot be accomplished in one hour a week, the work we are called to cannot be accomplished in this hour, this is our refueling.
The work we are called to cannot be delegated. Every hand and voice is needed. Every ear must hear”.
From a homily, reflecting on the Father’s commandment “This I command you: love one another” she spoke: “Remaining in the Lord’s love will call upon us for sacrifices – some heroic, to love folks we never thought we’d unite with so that we too act with courage and openly wear a Star of David or rainbow sash or carry a picket sign. That we openly criticize injustice, even criticize our own country, our own church when necessary. In the end, to remain means that we can no longer remain who we once were, can no longer think as we once thought, that we cannot be separated from Him, and that we too will take wing and soar”.
From a short essay “For Aiden”, inspired by her eldest grandchild, she concluded: “Now grandchildren give me a second chance, a double-take on love; for surely God loves like a grandmother or grandfather. Grandparenthood (along with increasing age and decreasing stamina) has opened my eyes to a purer form of love, a love utterly free of expectations, completely and joyously unencumbered by disappointments of any kind. This is the love that has the power to stop wars and transcend evil, if we allow it.
This is the love that opens the window through which we see the world and even see ourselves with the eyes of God and after putting on that new vision we come to understand that the only question that matters at all, in the end, is: How well did you love? ” Thank you all for your thoughts and prayers, God bless.
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