Kathy White

Kathleen Louise Tyacke was born June 13th, 1953 to Barbara and Warren Tyacke in Duluth, Minnesota. She grew up as one of four siblings in the Tyacke family. After graduating high school, Kathy attended classes at the University of Minnesota – Duluth and also took courses in becoming an administrative assistant. Kathy married Trevor Lawrence White in 1973 and the couple lived in Saint Paul Minnesota where Trevor was attending college. Kathy was employed as the administrative assistant to the vice president of Northwestern Insurance in Saint Paul. Following her husband’s graduation from college, the couple moved back to Duluth where Kathy worked as an administrative assistant in the economics department at the University of Minnesota – Duluth. In 1981, the couple welcomed the birth of their first child, Sara Nicole, into their family. In 1986, their second child, Ryan Trevor, was born. The family moved to Phoenix, Arizona in 1987 and Kathy performed daycare services to help support the family. She later became employed at Target, working first as a shelf stocker, later as a cashier and finally as a Pharmacy Tech after passing her state examination for this position. She continued in this position at Target until she retired in 2010. In the late 1980’s it was discovered that Kathy had Berger’s Disease, a kidney disease where the inner filters of the kidney were damaged. She eventually used a home dialysis system to maintain kidney function until she was fortunate enough to receive a kidney transplant in 1991. The transplant served her well until 2009 when it became apparent the transplant was beginning to shut down. Kathy began dialysis and during this process suffered two minor strokes that affected her walking ability to some degree. In 2011, Kathy received another donor kidney that functioned well for her until 2018. Also, in 2011, Kathy suffered a major stroke that impaired her ability to walk, drive and speak. She was able to regain some functionality in these areas. Over the next few years, Kathy was plagued by numerous infection problems; some of which required hospitalization and recovery therapy. In December 2018, Kathy suffered two more strokes, an infection and pneumonia which brought her to the hospital for the last time. The combination of medical issues, including additional strokes and kidney problems caused her body to begin shutting down and she was brought to Hospice of the Valley on March 1st, 2018. She remained unconscious until passing peacefully on March 12th. Kathy’s strength, courage and positive attitude through all these challenges was something that amazed all of us. Kathy was a quiet individual who was always kind and generous to those around her. She was a loving wife, devoted mother and was always quick to smile at those she met each day in her life. She most enjoyed occasions involving family or friends, especially during holidays. She welcomed all guests and visitors to her home with warmth and generosity. She was known for being cordial and friendly to her Target customers demonstrating empathy to the problems that others were incurring. Kathy was very proud of her children and the wonderful adults that they became. She was enthusiastic about grandchildren visiting and always welcomed their excitement and vitality. Kathy always loved and accepted others, regardless of their beliefs or differences offering kindness to all. Kathy also loved shopping and was considered a shopping pro. She would watch an item at Target until it was reduced to its final clearance price before purchasing it. She could spend hours walking through shopping centers or art festivals keeping an eye out for the things that brought beauty to her life. When she became unable to go out and shop, she became a big fan of the QVC network and internet shopping. Kathy is preceded in death by her father, Warren Tyacke, brother Gary Tyacke and sister-in-law Linda Tyacke. She is survived by her mother, Barbara Tyacke, brother Steve Tyacke, sister Jennifer Dansby, husband Trevor L. White, daughter Sara Stevens and her partner John Sooter, son Ryan White and his partner Selena Partida as well as three grandchildren, two nieces, two nephews and two great nieces. A memorial service will be held at 11:00 a.m., Sunday, March 31, 2019 at Menke Funeral & Cremation Center, 12420 North 103rd Ave. (one block south of Grand Avenue) in Sun City Arizona. Lunch will be served following the service. In lieu of flowers, contributions can be made to the Mayo Clinic or any organization helping people in need. Condolences may be shared at www.menkefuneralhome.com