Kathleen Northey Giddings

Kathleen Northey Giddings was born on Halloween night in 1934 to Tom and Aune (Loytymaki) Northey in Ispheming, MI. She died peacefully at home February 29th, she was 81 years old. Despite having rheumatoid arthritis since the age of three, she had a busy and complete life. She attended Negaunee Public schools until her junior year in high school. Although she moved to Lansing at that time she still considered herself a “Yooper”. Kathleen was co-valedictorian of Eastern High School in 1953. She continued her education at Michigan State University and received her BA degree in social work in 1956. She married Thomas A. Giddings following graduation. In 1960 she earned a Masters of Social Work degree and started her professional career at Catholic Social Services working in child welfare, which included assisting children in foster care, and working with the children at St. Vincent Home. She then concentrated on adoption and facilitated the completion of hundreds of families in the mid-Michigan area. After a career of 35 years Kathy retired in 1995. Her interests and activities included travel, theater, reading, friends, family, especially two grandchildren and a great grandson. She and her husband traveled to all fifty states, Europe, Great Britain, Scandinavia, Egypt and Asia. Kathleen was a prolific writer, producing a record of personal and family history. She was one of several authors of the published book The Teacher Who Ate Her Pet. Despite her physical limitations imposed by lifelong arthritis and a late in life loss of vision, Kathleen maintained an optimistic outlook, a sense of humor and positive feeling for others. She was known to burst into songs of her childhood, many passed on from her father Tom Northey. She was preceded in death by her parents. She is survived by one daughter, Melanie (Steven) Kahler; one son, Mark James Giddings; 2 granddaughters, Justine (Nate) Bell and Anna J. Kahler; great grandson, Harrison T. Bell; sisters, Karen (Fathi) Saad and Lynn (Stanley) McMann; many nieces and nephews. Memorial contributions can be made to the Lansing Promise Scholarship Fund or the WKAR Radio Reading Service for the blind.