Kathryn (Thomsen) Schroeder

Kay (Thomsen) Schroeder, 70, of Whitefish, passed on Nov. 27, 2012 to travel on to her next journey after a courageous fight with cancer.

Daughter of the late Dr. and Mrs. Robert King Schroeder, Kay was born and raised in Whitefish where she made many friends and memories.
Kay graduated from Whitefish High School with the class of 1960 and left to major in journalism at Northern Montana College. Not being able to satiate her desire to explore the world, Kay joined the U.S. Navy where she met and married her husband Lyle.
During the couple’s naval career, they lived in California, Alaska, Virginia, South Carolina, New York and Germany. After completing their service obligations, the couple returned to Whitefish in 1976 to raise their two daughters.
Once settled in Whitefish, Kay began her career with First Interstate Bank in Kalispell and in 1986, Kay accepted an affiliate transfer as an A.V.P. for the bank and the family then relocated to Mesa, Ariz.
While in Arizona, Kay opened and managed the first satellite Wells Fargo mortgage lending office where she blazed trails in multiple arenas of mortgage lending. After retiring from First Interstate (by then, Wells Fargo) in 2008, Kay made a futile attempt to retire but she could not fathom sitting around and immediately decided to pursue public service.
Kay applied for the Peace Corp. and while awaiting her orders, she volunteered countless hours as a staffing specialist for Save the Family; a nonprofit organization that provided transitional housing for homeless families victimized by domestic violence. Additionally, Kay returned to college in 2010 and received (with honors) her certification as a chemical dependency counselor. Until the end, Kay made it clear that she was a fighter who lived life with no regrets. She was a dedicated mother, wife, grandmother and friend whose energy and enthusiasm were always contagious.
Kay is survived by her daughters; Amity Thomsen of Mesa, Ariz., and Kirsten Thomsen-Patel of Chandler, Ariz., as well as one grandchild, Kaitlen Thomsen of Phoenix, Ariz.
A celebration of Kay’s life will be held March 30 at Allen Funeral Home in Mesa, Ariz., after which Kay’s ashes will be laid to rest beside her parents at Whitefish Cemetery.