Kathleen Rose Kellogg was born November 4 of 1926 in the Imperial Valley farming town of Brawley, California. She is survived by five children [Molly Kellogg (Stan Hollenberg), Bonnee Kellogg, Lisa Kellogg, Michael Kellogg (Gary Carter), Sheila Kellogg Ambrose], six grandchildren [Tommy Hollenberg, Clark Hollenberg, Paige Ambrose, Brooke Ambrose, Ross Ambrose, Krista Ambrose], and two sisters [Elaine Hovley Ostrov and Rita Hovley Haynes] and niece (Suzanne Mandel-Mosko) and nephew (Mark Mandel). She is pre-deceased by her mother and father [Marie and Frank Hovley], her husband of 39 years, [Ross Kellogg], her brother [John Hovley] and sisters, [Marian Hovley and Fran Hovley Mandel].
She was the first grandchild on both sides of the family. This special status didn't shield her from poverty. She grew up in a two-room house without running water or electricity. She didn't see a dentist until she was fourteen: no cavities! Some of her clothing was constructed from old flour sacks. She noted that her parents struggled to provide for their family. Christmas was spare and gifts depended on the kindness of extended family. Canny, as she mispronounced her name while learning to speak, developed into a tough, frugal, and fiercely self-reliant woman.
As her five children recall, she did not waste food. "If you're hungry, you'll eat it" was a familiar refrain. She grew vegetables in her home garden and passed along her love of vegetables to her kids. She cooked everything from scratch at a time when convenience foods were all the rage. Her homemade biscuits were legendary. Our lunches were a source of wonderment to the other kids: Who brings homemade lemon meringue pie to school in a Tupperware case?
She was late to learn to read as a child, partly due to her poor eyesight until she was found to need glasses. Mom recalled gratefully the kindness and patience of one elementary school teacher who helped her after school while she was waiting for the late bus to take her. Once she could read, reading remained a joy throughout her life. The world opened to her and she orchestrated her destiny. She shared her love of reading with her children and grandchildren stating often “books are friends”.
She enrolled in stenography school, and became a bookkeeper, keeping financial records and handling payroll for her husband Ross’ State Farm Agency for the entire 35 years he was in business. In her nineties, she would still use some stenographer’s shorthand, and when she had to be admitted to the hospital for a post-COVID stroke at the age of 95, she was still concerned about whether a certain bill had been paid. She knew the due dates!
With her clerical skills in hand, in her early twenties, she planned her escape from the desert heat she had long endured. Mom set her sights on a cooler climate. In typical independent fashion, she sent a letter to the chamber of commerce in towns of interest to her, asked about employment prospects, secured letters of interest, and set out for her promised land of Oregon, without knowing a soul.
She met a real-life cowboy in Burns, OR, and fell in love and married him after the second proposal. (She had her own travel dreams to fulfill first!) She secured a job as a civilian employee of the Army in occupied Japan and elected to travel by freighter to her new job, so she'd have time to read and see the world before work closed in. She had developed a love of Japanese culture early on in life through the Nakamura family that took her and her brother in when her parents were both sick. While in Japan on her work stint, she immersed herself in the culture and traveled extensively. A local Japanese doctor selected Kathleen to teach his children conversational English. She was honored they chose her over others with more experience teaching.
Upon her return from Japan, Kathleen and Ross married and raised five children. After laying her husband to rest, her love of travel endured, and she realized her lifelong dream of traveling to Australia. She also went to Ireland and Scotland on separate trips in her late seventies. Her independence prompted her to note that she would only travel if she could manage all her luggage by herself.
Also in her seventies, Kathleen began the renaissance of her artistic talent. She enrolled in art classes and resumed oil painting. Her son, Michael, is also a gifted artist and attended some classes with her. Despite a gap of 50 years in painting, she produced some 40+ paintings during this time. Again, her determination to be autonomous curtailed this hobby when she felt she couldn't manage getting her supplies to class on her own.
Her mobility may have waned, but as Kathleen entered "old age" she exemplified dignity and grace under duress. I have never seen someone white-knuckle it through a dinner or event without a peep or complaint as stoically as our mom. She used her cane to get around for many years. It was her trusty multi-tool: blackberry vine grabber, potential weapon, extractor of fallen objects. She was not a fan of motorized or "newfangled" things, so a power wheelchair or a cell phone was not for her. Her favorite Christmas present this past month was a new calendar she could hold in her hand so she could keep apprised of all her appointments.
We are so grateful that most of her family was able to visit her over the past year, and that she was able to impart her core values to us all: integrity, curiosity, fairmindedness, adventure, kindness, responsibility, determination, and love of wide-open spaces. Her final act of independence was to choose to leave us peacefully in her sleep at home on January 4, 2024. Happy travels, Mom! We love you!!
In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Children's Literacy Institute in honor of Kathleen's love of reading and to support lifelong readers.
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