Kathleen Marian (McAvay) Curtis

Kathe Curtis died peacefully on May 21, 2019 following a courageous three year battle with ALS, otherwise known as Lou Gehrig's disease.  Her daughter, Kersten Jevne, and her close friends were by her side. Kathe was born in Cleveland, Ohio in 1944.  She moved to Delaware at a young age and subsequently graduated from high school in Sarasota, Florida.  She married her former husband Frederick Irving Curtis with whom she had two children - Frederick William II "Splinter" and Kersten.  She is preceded in death by her parents, Edward and Pauline McAvay, brothers, Edward and Patrick and her son Frederick II.  Remaining relatives include sister, Candace McAvay of Wilmington, North Carolina and her daughter and son-in-law, Kersten and Franz Jevne IV, and grandson, Fin of Long Lake, MN. Kathe spent most of her adult life in East Grand Rapids, MI.  Kathe’s professional career spanned three decades. She incorporated her love of fashion, a natural ability for salesmanship and management. She began in Grand Rapids, MI employed by privately held high end fashion houses, as a buyer for the former May’s of Michigan and manager of Leigh’s of Breton Village.  She later joined Ann Taylor as a manager before relocating to Minnesota in 2006 to be close to her family.  She managed Chico's in the Galleria in Edina, which became a top performing store in the company.  She ended her career at Chico’s in Wayzata and was loved by many of her co-workers and customers. Among her friends and family, Kathe was perhaps best known as an attentive and loving mother and grandmother, affectionately known as "Gaga".  She was a staple at Fin's baseball and hockey games, her daughter often called her a “hockey grandma”.  In addition, she loved to read both fiction and non-fiction and was a student of cultural events. Kathe spent her last couple of months in The Arbor in Folkestone, an assisted living facility in Wayzata, MN.  She was especially thankful to her nurse Christine and The Arbor staff, her hospice nurse Amy Love, her social worker Pam and Dr. Maiser of the ALS Clinic in Minneapolis. Donations in memory of Kathe may be directed to the ALS Center of Excellence located in the Neurology Clinic at Hennepin County Medical Center, 701 Park Avenue, Minneapolis, MN. 55415. Mass of Christian Burial 11:00 a.m. Friday, May 31, 2019 at the Church of St. Bartholomew, 630 East Wayzata Boulevard, Wayzata. Visitation will be held at the church from 10:00 to 11:00 am.

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