June 4, 2009
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Kathleen Eileen Maureen McGaughey O’Perrino
On Friday evening, approximately 9:30 p.m., my Irish Aunt Kathleen was called into the Kingdom of Heaven. As hard as it is to lose a loved one… and Kathleen was truly a loved one, knowing she is free from the struggles of her failing health is a blessing and helps to ease the sadness I feel for our loss.
Kathleen is my only Aunt. She is my Father’s younger sister and the Mother to my cousins Terrie, Ross and Kellie.
Kathleen was a true Irish lass! She celebrated St. Patrick’s Day like no one I have ever known. She donned the green, some years right down to the green hair! She was a nurse at Naeve Hospital in Albert Lea, and with good friend Marge, they both were so green, the paper was dispatched to the hospital to take a photograph and print it in the local news.
Kathleen was known for her amazing spaghetti. She married an Italian boy, Joe Perrino (yes, she added the O’ at St. Patty’s Day to be even more Irish!) and you know how the Italians are famous for their wonderful spaghetti sauce. She would make this yummy sauce and we would always be so excited to go to her house for this special treat! At one point, Kathleen packed up and was going to move to California. We begged her to reveal her special recipe so we could continue to enjoy this amazing treat, and she finally gave it up. The standing family joke is that the base of the sauce was Chef Boyardee in the can! We always got such a kick out of that and ribbed her about it for years. Of course it was what she added to the sauce and the simmering time that made it fantastic!
Kathleen was an amazing conversationalist. She was really interested in what you had to share, and always asked meaningful questions to further the exchange and sharing. She was always a delight to have at family gatherings. Though our family is very small, she was a big part of us. She will be incredibly missed.
