Tributes

Kathe Kerns, nee Wenzel, was born to Bernhard and Gertrude Wenzel in Wernigerode, Germany, a medieval village in the Harz mountains. During the cold war, mother, daughter Kathe and sons Bernhard and Rolf, escaped from East to West Germany. They planned a desperate journey to join Bernhard a former POW who had no ID and travel papers. Gertrude sold her jewelry to buy train tickets to Aachen, Germany. They would then call Bernhard who would collect them on the Belgian side of the border to their new home in Seraing, a suburb of Liege. They were able to flee through the woods to evade the West German border guard and were reunited with Bernhard some hours later. Barely a teen, Kathe and her brothers attended Catholic school where they learned to speak French. Still in her teens, she worked at a blanchiserie (laundry) to help support the family. On Saturday nights Kathe used to go to a club called the Moulin Rouge frequented by U.S. Airmen from Spangdahlem Air Base Germany not far from Liege. Tom wore slacks and a sports jacket in contrast with the jeans and T-shirts in contrast with the other G.I.s. Well, Tom and Kathe were attracted to each other, went steady for a year, and were married at a civil ceremony followed by a traditional Catholic wedding. During his 27-year career they had assignments in Germany and America. Tom retired in 1978. Their three daughters. Linda, Debi, and Karen were born in 1960, 1962 and 1967, respectively. A self-taught seamstress, she made clothes for herself and the girls well into their teens. When Tom retired in 1978, they bought a house in Highland Hills. She loved design and her personal touch was everywhere you looked in their home. A seamstress at Wolfman’s, she became the favorite of San Antonio’s rich and famous. After Wolman’s closed, she remained actively sewing for clients until her eyesight failed. She loved caring for her granddaughters, Andrea and Kinley while their mothers worked. Slowly her health worsened, and her kidneys failed. After a year in dialysis, she drew on her considerable inner strength, called her family together, went through a week of home hospice care and passed with her living family at her bedside. Kathe Anna Kerns, nee Wenzel, left us to join the angels on Sunday, 9 October 2022. She is survived by her husband Tom; daughters Linda Kerns, Debi Kerns and Karen Kerns; granddaughters Andrea Kerns and Kinley Johnson; cousin Crista Maas; sons-in-law Alejandro Gonzalez, Joseph Fisher and Charles Minica. A viewing will be held on Monday, 17 October 2022 at Mission Park South from 11:00 a.m. to 1:00 p.m., followed by funeral services at Fort Sam Houston National Cemetery.

Tributes

Kathe Anna Kerns

July 29, 1934 - October 9, 2022