Kathleen Wietlispach

Kathleen Ann Wietlispach, 61, passed away on June 30 at home on Church Avenue in Bozeman, MT alongside loving care from family and support from hospice.

She was born on August 23, 1963 in Rock Island, IL.

Kathy graduated from Moline High School, Moline IL, in 1981 and attended the University of Iowa, Iowa City, IA. As an undergraduate she studied Visual Arts and began her career as a Graphic Artist with the Iowa City Press-Citizen.

She moved to Bozeman in 1994 and continued her career there first with Lokken Printing and then launched LumaClar Productions. As a sole proprietor, Kathy contracted mainly with McKenzie River Brewing Company and Montana Ale Works where she added her artistic flair to the printed materials and publications that helped these businesses flourish in the local economy.

Success as an entrepreneur allowed Kathy to focus on making home improvements. A home office made it easier to expand the productions company and, over time, she used the added leisure to adopt a cat and several dogs. As morning broke on the last day of June, the family she had by her side included loyal and lovable dogs, Freya and Keeper; now included in the group of survivors.

Kathy’s larger family of bereaved survivors includes a sister, Sharon Cook of Cedar Rapids, IA; brothers Jim of Bellingham, WA; Joe (Liz Turner) of Taylor Ridge, IL; and John (Susan) of Joliet, IL; a niece, Allison Sorensen (Craig) of Shellsburg, IA; nephews David Wietlispach (Jessica Kelly) of Omaha, NE; Jefferey Cook of Dubuque, IA; and Sam Wietlispach (Amanda Wills) of Chicago, IL; and grandniece Sophie Sorensen, also of Shellsburg.

She enjoyed listening to music, attending concerts, hiking, working on home improvement projects, gardening, spending time with family and friends, and supporting worthy causes and organizations by encouraging others to adopt, donate and vote. Kathy advocated for women’s rights, affordable housing and mental health awareness. She blended her business savvy, sewing skills and activism by constructing fashionable face masks during the onset of the pandemic to help prevent the spread of the coronavirus.

Kathy is preceded in death by: her mother, Marylin; and her father, Carmen Wietlispach; her cat, Louie; and dogs Izzy, EmmyLou, Clarabel, Scout, and Maggie.

Memorial hikes and get-togethers are being planned for later this summer. Please ring or SMS 815-715-3368 if interested in attending and provide your name and email address before August 15th.

Please send memorial gifts in honor of her extraordinary life to

Enhabit Home Health and Hospice
3810 Valley Commons Drive Suite 1
Bozeman, MT 59718

and/or the rescue organizations near the Church Avenue residence and the new home for her precious Freya and Keeper, respectively.

Heart of the Valley Animal Shelter
1549 E. Cameron Bridge Rd.
Bozeman, MT 59718

Pintler Pets Humane Society
P.O. Box 1204
Anaconda, MT 59711

All who were welcomed into Kathy’s home caught a glimpse of her outlook on life when reading this prominently displayed poem by Elizabeth Cheney (1859) titled "Overheard in an Orchard."

Said the Robin
   to the Sparrow
“I should really
   like to know
Why these anxious
   human beings
Rush about and
   worry so!”

Said the Sparrow
   to the Robin
“Friend, I think that
   it must be
That they have no
   Heavenly Father
Such as cares for
   you and me.”