Kathleen Gallup

Kathy Gallup was a devoted mother who regarded her family as her greatest treasure. She was a hard working woman with an entrepreneurial spirit, always chasing the American Dream, and she found the reward for her effort in the accomplishments of her children.

With the end of the Second World War, thousands of young soldiers returned to their civilian lives back home. They started families of their own, and the Baby Boom was soon underway. In Mattawan, Michigan, Leo Gallup and his wife Pauline Eagle were among the many expecting parents. On January 26, 1959 they were blessed with the healthy birth of their daughter Kathleen Ann Gallup.

One of five children, Kathy grew up in Mattawan with the company of her brothers, Leo, Glen, and William, and her sister Laura. Kathy received a traditional Midwest upbringing. Growing up with three brothers, she enjoyed playing outdoors and making mischief. She was a great instigator and managed to get her brothers in trouble on more than a few occasions. She attended the local public schools where she loved singing in the choir and performing in plays.

During her high school years, Kathy was introduced to a handsome friend of her brother Leo. She and Chris Kowalski fell in love. He joined the Air Force, and she followed him to Oscoda where he was stationed. They were blessed with two wonderful children, Kris and Sarah. Shortly afterward Kathy and Chris separated. Kathy returned to Kalamazoo with her children, enrolling them in the Mattawan School District. In the mid-1980’s Kathy met the father of her two younger sons. Although they did not marry, their union was blessed with two wonderful children, Glen and Leonard. Family was the center of Kathy’s life, and her children were her greatest priority. They were constantly in her thoughts. On each of their birthdays, she called them at the exact minute that they were born.

Kathy was an entrepreneurial woman who worked hard to improve her lot in life. She was an early riser who drank coffee like water. To provide for her growing family she worked at WL Molding for over ten years. She then began working in transportation for the company Laidlaw. After several years with Laidlaw she started her own transportation services company, T&K Associates. The business specialized in transportation and cleaning services. She also worked as a Commercial Driver’s License Trainer for the State of Michigan.

Kathy knew Mark RietKert through her brother, Leo. They shared many interests, and in recent years they began talking more frequently. They agreed to start a business together. In 2005, three months after the inception of their company, they really connected. Soon afterward Kathy’s health began to decline. She initially believed that she had pneumonia, but she was later diagnosed with lung cancer. She and Mark researched the best ways to combat her disease, and her entire community rallied around her by holding fundraisers to provide for her care. Despite her prognosis, Kathy remained the woman that she had always been: tenacious, generous, and, most of all, loving. In the last several years she rediscovered her faith, and as her health declined she began walking closer with the Lord. Her faith and her resilience inspired the many people in her life. She will be greatly missed and frequently remembered.

Kathy died peacefully with her family at her side on August 9, 2007 at her sister’s home in Kalamazoo. Learn more about Kathy and view her Life Story Film Sunday from 3:00-6:00PM at the Life Story Funeral Home, Betzler-6080 Stadium Drive-Kalamazoo, 375-2900, where a service to honor her life will be held Monday at 10:30 AM. Interment will follow at Mt. Ever-Rest Memorial Park with a reception after the burial in the Life Story Center back at the funeral home. Kathy was preceded in death by her father Leo, her brother Leo and by an infant son, Johnny. She is survived by her four children; Kris (Jodi) Kowalski of Grandville, MI, Sarah (Casey) VanderPloeg of Shelbyville , Glenn (Katie) Metheny of Kalamazoo, Leonard (Michelle Budnik-Nap) Metheny of Mattawan, 6 grandchildren: Cameron, Nathan, Brook, Dayton, Hannah, Caleb, her mother, Pauline Gallup of Mattawan, two brothers and one sister; Glen (Kerry) Gallup in Marcellus, Laura (Terry Payne) Gallup of Kalamazoo, William Gallup of Kalamazoo and her special friend, Mark RietKert of Kalamazoo. Please visit Kathy’s’ personal web page at www.lifestorynet.com, where you may archive a memory or photo, sign her memory book online before coming to the funeral home or make a memorial contribution to her church, The Rock (2901 N 10th St., Kalamazoo, MI 49009 or at www.gototherock.com )