Kaye Lehmkuhl Roth

Kaye Lehmkuhl Roth of Austin, TX passed away on December 6, 2023. She was born in Omaha, Nebraska on May 15, 1936 to Walter and Ruth Lehmkuhl. When she was 14, the family moved to Fargo, North Dakota in the dead of winter where she literally walked through snow drifts to Fargo High School. She was president of her class Red Cross and associate editor of the school paper where she was also contributor of fiction stories and poetry. Not surprisingly she sang in both school and church choirs while taking voice and piano lessons.

While attending Macalester College in St. Paul, Minnesota, studying English and Music, she continued to sing with the church and college choirs and was assistant conductor of the college choir. In the Olivet Congregational Church’s young adult program, she met Chuck Roth who was a student at the University of Minnesota. Seeing he was the tallest man in the room, she volunteered as his dance partner, and thus began a courtship of a lifetime. They were married in the summer of 1958 and moved to Boston where Chuck was in graduate school at MIT and Kaye taught English in a suburban high school.

Their next move was to California for Chuck’s Ph.D. at Stanford University and Kaye taught seventh grade in Menlo Park. They also joined the Stanford University folk dancers.

In 1961 they moved to Austin for Chuck to accept a position as assistant professor at the University of Texas. By then Kaye was pregnant with twins! Peter and Andrew were born on February 3, 1962 and son Rick arrived nine years later. They happily settled into the Highland Park neighborhood and began attending the newly organized Covenant Presbyterian Church when it was still meeting at the nearby elementary school.

While rearing the boys, Kaye became involved in children’s education/music at Covenant and was soon named the Director of Children’s Music, with forty children in the program. Other directors joined her as Covenant grew and moved to their permanent location on Northland, and the children’s choir program continue to flourish.

For over 30 years Kaye and her team held weekly rehearsals which prepared the various choirs for singing regularly in worship. Then in the spring, she produced a musical based on a Bible story to which the church and community were invited. Many families were drawn to Covenant when they saw the joy and faith development inherent in these performances and wanted their children to be involved. Generations of Covenant children learned their love of music and confidence in singing in the room with “Mrs. Roth,” and she was always ready and willing to work as a voice coach with children and adults. Some of Kaye’s happiest memories included working with her sons--she directed Andy in the children’s musical, “Barbeque for Ben,” and delighted in playing the mother in “Amahl and The Night Visitors” with Rick playing the part of the crippled son.

With her beautiful soprano voice, she was a member and soloist for the Sanctuary Choir and for innumerable special events. For years Kaye was the “go-to” person for coordinating music for Vacation Bible School, women’s retreats, or any special occasion. She was wonderful at motivating a group to “sing out with love for Jesus in your heart.”

Kaye was a joyful person, always caring about those around her. She loved the summer programs at Mo Ranch that helped her stay close to God. She felt grateful for her life and God’s care, as well as thankful for her three sons and her many wonderful friends. And she loved spending quality time at the family’s cabin in Estes Park, Colorado, where they enjoyed hiking in nature and visiting with Kaye’s brother, Bruce and his wife, Dorothy and their family.

She was a loving mother, who encouraged her sons’ scouting and other activities, and a supportive wife for Chuck’s academic endeavors as well as his many folk, contra and English dancing “gigs” through the years, including traveling to Europe several times.

Kaye is survived by her son, Andy, his wife, Holly and their son, Nathanael of Hampton, New Jersey; and by her son Rick and his sons, Carson and Calvin of Richardson, Texas. She is also survived by her brother, Bruce Lehmkuhl, his wife Dorothy and their sons David, Scott and Greg and families. She was preceded in death by her husband, Dr. Charles H. Roth, Jr., and their son, Peter.

Kaye spent her later years at Brookdale Northwest Hills and the family is so appreciative of their good care. Also, heartfelt thanks to Mary Taylor Doucet who came along 12 years ago as an advocate for Kaye’s care and was a strong support spiritually and emotionally to the very end. Kaye was also tenderly loved by many church and neighborhood friends.

Please send memorial gifts to Covenant Presbyterian Church or the Covenant Children’s Choir Program.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 13, 2024 at 2:00 p.m. at Covenant Presbyterian Church, 3003 Northland Dr., Austin 78757. Arrangements by Weed Corley Fish Funeral Home.