KATHLEEN A. BARENDT (nee Griffin) age 84. Beloved wife of 58 years to Robert G.; loving mother of Christopher (Debbie), Maureen Beyer (Henry), Joseph (Jean), Virginia Dober (Mark), James (Debbie), Charles (Cathy) and Nicholas (Robin); grandmother of 26, great-grandmother of 10; sister of Sr. Brigid Griffin, CSJ (deceased), Thomas Griffin (deceased), Patricia Begin (deceased), Most Rev. James A Griffin, Michael Griffin and Mary L. Kistner; beloved aunt, great-aunt and cousin of many. Born
January 31, 1930 to Thomas & Margaret Griffin on W. 227th
Street in Fairview Park, OH. Kathleen
was a graduate of St. Angela Merici School (Fairview Park) in
1944 and St. Joseph Academy (Cleveland) in 1948 (proud Alumni
of both schools.
She met Bob while working at White Sewing Machine Company plant on
Berea Road (Cleveland). Bob was a determined young man,
asking several times for a date with the strikingly beautiful
young lady. Their relationship blossomed into a love that grew
for nearly 59 years of marriage.She
was a proud Grandmother to Greg, Andrew, Stephen, Rebekah,
Laura, Katie, Amy, Pat, Phillip, Brigid, Stephan, Martin,
Michael, Matthew, Joseph, John, Daniel, Kelly, Jack, Megan,
Rachel, Natalie, Sarah, Claire, Peter, and David. And she was
a proud Great Grandmother to Heather, Grace, Claire, Jack,
Luke, Kaylee, Kailee, Connor, and Megan. Kathleen
was an artist, painting scenes from nature. During family
vacations, she could be found sitting in a sunny room with her
Children, Grandchildren and Great Grandchildren creating
visual memories of the areas where the family was enjoying
time together. Kathleen
played the accordion and would frequently sing her children to
sleep. She also enjoyed playing the piano and singing.
Recently her family has unearthed a copy of a children's book
that she authored and illustrated in 1964 (if you'd like to
see it or have your own copy, please see Maureen). Kathleen
and Bob have been members of St. Mary Catholic Church (Berea)
since 1963. Kathleen's
love of family included an uncanny ability to name a (distant)
relative in nearly any region in the United States, causing
laughter from her children, any time they mentioned a
soon-to-be-visited-city, the response was "you know, you have
a relative there (insert name) and they'd love to have you
visit and stay with them." She also organized several Griffin
Family reunions held in West Virginia, site of a Log Cabin
Church constructed by her great grandfather Michael Griffin,
the most recent of which was held in 2006. Prayer
was a constant in Kathleen's life from praying the rosary with
family (kneeling down in family room) to saying prayers as a
car trip began (followed shortly afterward by Kathleen falling
asleep) and even at her moment of death, her family was
praying with her. Bob
and Kathleen enjoyed traveling and the traveling intensified
when Bob retired. On trips, Kathleen loved to view the
scenery and Bob would search out jewelry as gifts for the love
of his life. They traveled to North Carolina's Outer Banks
(repeatedly on family vacations), Lake Milton (Griffin family
gatherings), Florida, California, Hawaii, Puerto Rico, Italy
and Ireland. Kathleen
loved to sew clothes for children, grandchildren, great
grandchildren and even their dolls. It helped that she
married an Engineer skilled in Sewing Machine repair. Kathleen
enjoyed keeping in touch with friends and family, nourishing
some friendships for 70 years, including classmates from St.
Angela's and St. Joe's. She
was a wonderful sister and aunt, very giving of her time, and
happy to act as the family news source ("did you hear about
your cousin's latest trip/promotion/life event?"). Kathleen
and Bob have been hosting Griffin sibling get togethers for
the past few years and for those able to join, there is
usually a meal, storytelling and lots of laughter. One
of her greatest joys was holding babies. Family members have
countless photographs and memories of "Grandma" holding their
newborns, each one where Kathleen has this huge smile and is
looking at the baby with love in her eyes. All
of these stories are a reflection of her Love of life and her
Love of God. These memories and values she has passed on to all
of us.Passed away August 5, 2014. Funeral Mass Saturday, August 9, St. Mary's Church (250 Kraft St. Berea) at 10 A.M. Entombment Holy Cross Cemetery. Friends may call at CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED 29150 LORAIN RD. AT STEARNS RD. FRIDAY 2-4 & 6-8 P.M. Memorial contributions are suggested to the Sr. Brigid Griffin CSJ Scholarship, c/o St. Joseph Academy, 3470 Rocky River Drive Cleveland, OH 44111.