Sun Prairie, WI -- Catherine (Kay) Elizabeth Hesse, born May 11, 1934, joined her husband Charles in Heaven on Wednesday, the 22nd of January, while surrounded by her loving daughters. Kay wasn't a fan of Wisconsin winters, so with a snowstorm in the forecast, it's no coincidence she left us before she had to endure more cold and snow.

Raised in Westerly, Rhode Island, and later moving to Long Island, New York, Kay spent a meaningful portion of her life on the East Coast as a wife and mother. While her daughters, Kathleen and Coleen, were young, the family moved to Lisle, Illinois. There, Kay enjoyed taking care of her family and soon graduated from Triton College with a degree in nursing.

In the early 1990s, Kay and Charlie moved to Phillips, Wisconsin, where she worked as a nurse at Pleasant View Nursing Home. Kay enjoyed time with family on Solberg Lake and continued her dedication to the Lord at retreats and mass through Our Lady of the North Catholic Parish. After spending nearly a decade in Phillips, the Hesses retired to Clermont, Florida. There, Kay led the Kings Ridge Tennis Club, served in the choir and Catholic Women's Group at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church, was a loyal Walt Disney World guest and overall great friend of the neighborhood. Her laugh could be heard from blocks away.

Kay will join many beloved family members and friends in Heaven, including husband Charlie whom she met at a roller rink and was married to for over 50 years. She takes to Heaven her strong Irish traits like her wit, grit and love of God. During Kay's final years battling terminal cancer, she spent precious time with family - daughters, sons-in-law, grandchildren and their spouses, great grandchildren and her great granddog - and she was particularly full of life during the Thanksgiving celebration of 2019 when she enjoyed multiple pieces of pie, stayed up late, laughed a lot and was even caught praying two hours after she went to bed. To that, she responded, "I can pray as long as I want to!" She also was able to continue her yearly summer trips to Virginia Beach to enjoy the ocean with her sister Mary and family.

She is survived by her daughters Kathleen (Kevin) Klein and Coleen (James) Kucharski; her grandchildren Erin (Jeremy) Hillebrand, Timothy (Lindsay) Kucharski and Heather (Nicholas) Kiedrowski; her great grandchildren Madison, Ryker, James and Charles; her sister Mary and Mary's family; and all of her friends at Kings Ridge and Blessed Sacrament in Clermont. She is preceded in death by her husband Charles Hesse, her grandson James Kucharski, her brother-in-law Johnny Kramer and other loving family and friends.

Funeral arrangements are as follows: Monday, February 10, 2020. 11:00 a.m. Mass at Blessed Sacrament Catholic Church in Clermont, Florida (10:00 a.m. Visitation). 12:00 p.m. - 1:00 p.m. Reception on site at Blessed Sacrament. 2:00 p.m. Burial at Florida National Cemetery where Catherine will be laid to rest next to husband Charles. Becker Funeral Home, Clermont, has been entrusted with the arrangements.

The family would like to thank Agrace Hospice, St. Mary's Hospital in Madison, Marshfield Clinic, New Perspective in Sun Prairie and River's Edge Rehabilitation at Park Manor in Park Falls for their genuine care.