On April 13, 2022 Kathy Spreen passed away peacefully at home surrounded by her loved ones. Kathy Spreen was born in Newport Beach to a well-respected military father and a charming and caring mother in 1953. She was the youngest of two siblings. Her brother, Ralph, was 10 years her senior.

Kathy had many great memories she would share from growing up in Laguna Beach in the ’50s and ’60s. Some of her favorite memories include attending the opening day of Disneyland, camping on Catalina Island, riding motorcycles, and experiencing the peace and love mind set of her generation. Laguna Beach is where she met her future husband and love of her life, David.

David and Kathy eventually made their way to Blue Lake, Humboldt County in 1972. In 1974 Kathy and Dave found everything they dreamed of in a property in Kneeland and built their dream life with their family in the mountains. They were married in 1976 and had two daughters, Karla and Kelly.

Kathy told stories of hitchhiking from Blue Lake to school at College of the Redwoods. June 1975, she graduated from College of the Redwoods with an Associate Degree in Business. After graduating, she worked for the California Coastal Commission for two years prior to lateralling over to Alcohol Beverage Control with the State of California.

Kathy was well known as the administrative assistant at Alcohol Beverage Control in Eureka. She worked there for over 40 years, retiring in 2020. Anyone who sold alcohol in Humboldt County knew Kathy and have shared many fond memories of her. She was able to work part-time, allowing her to always be there for her family. Kathy was a great home cook. The family ate dinner together every night, usually without TV. Holidays and birthdays were centered around everyone getting together at home or a restaurant to share a meal together. The family grew over the years with the addition of grandchildren, which brought her great joy.

Kathy loved the outdoors and could often be found outside tending to her garden, while listening to the radio with her dog. Her flowers were award-winning, but she never felt the need to enter any contests. She loved art, and enjoyed taking photos of her flowers and doing watercolor paintings of them as well. Her garden in its prime was not only beautiful, but provided the family with fresh fruits and vegetables. Garden to the dinner table, the family often enjoyed a delicious salad prepared 100 percent from Kathy’s garden with a beautiful dahlia bouquet as the table centerpiece.

Kathy enjoyed sharing her knowledge of gardening and plant identification with family and friends. She also loved to support the Sequoia Humane Society, often donating in memory of family pets, which were always adopted adults from our local shelter. She was a friend to all animals and a self-taught master gardener.

One of her favorite trips was a 14-day backpacking trip in the Trinity Alps with daughters Karla and Kelly, and family friend Karin. The all-female group received attention along the trail, some unwanted. Kathy was able to scare off two unsavory men with a warning shot to protect her family. She was a tough mountain woman, still making wood fires the month before her passing.

Kathy’s spirit and legacy will live on in the many lessons she taught her daughters that will be passed down through the generations like keep life simple: enjoy the outdoors, music, and art, and the importance of independence.

Kathy is survived by her daughters and their spouses, Karla and Brent Knapek and Kelly and Jason Wehausen, as well as her grandchildren Jenna and Levi Knapek and Khaliya and Hunter Wehausen. Kathy is preceded in death by her husband of 45 years, David Spreen, mother and father, Margaret and John Mroczek as well as her brother, Ralph Hadsell.

In remembrance of Kathy, please take a nice walk and smell the flowers.

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