Kathleen Ann Charters (Rice)

Kathleen Ann Charters

8/6/1951 ~ 1//2024

Kathleen Ann Charters (Rice) passed away Monday, January 8th, 2024 at her home in Cedaredge, Colorado where she lived with her sister and brother-in-law, Mary and Tim Key, for the last 6 and half years.  She was 72 years old and had been battling PSP for nearly 9 years.

Kathleen was born August 6, 1951 in Brooklyn, New York to Shirley Ann Gokey and Edmond J. Rice.  The family originally was from Herkimer, New York and most of her earliest years were spent there.  Her family moved across the northern part of the United States as she was growing up and when Kathleen was around 13 years old they all landed in Eugene, Oregon, where she graduated from South Eugene High School.

After high school Kathleen did some traveling to Mexico and Hawaii with friends.  She moved to Honolulu and lived there for a few years before moving back to Eugene.  Back in Oregon she worked for many years as a ward clerk at Sacred Heart Hospital and later as a CNA for private individuals.  She was married once for 9 years but later divorced and she never remarried.

When she began to have troubles with her health and could no longer work, Kathleen moved in with her mother, Shirley Roberts/Rice/Gokey and step-father, Dan Roberts, first in Veneta, Oregon, and then moved with them to Corpus Christi, Texas.  She lived there until she needed more care than her parents could provide at which time she came to Cedaredge and moved in with her sister and brother-in-law.

Kathleen absolutely loved antiques and she managed to collect quite a few fascinating things with all her moving around.  Her other main hobby was cooking and baking.  The taste of her cheesecakes would make your eyes roll.  Everyone loved her dilly beans and she made the best roasts.  But, you had to watch out because she loved spicy hot foods and she would trick you into tasting something that looked harmless and a tiny bite would leave you running for a cold drink of milk.  Kathleen loved singing and enjoyed many genres of music ranging from classical, country, folk and old time bluegrass & gospel.  At her request, she was baptized at Grand Mesa Baptist Church in Cedaredge, on Easter Sunday of 2019.  

Kathleen was a wonderful and lovely person and sister with a sentimental heart and was a blessing to us all.  She will be sorely missed.

She is survived by her sister Mary Key and brother-in-law Tim Key of Cedaredge, Colorado; her sister Ellen Rice and brother-in-law Scott Morrison of Lacey, Washington; her brother James Bradley Rice of Freeland, Washington; her nieces Fiona Rice and Jeanette Tucci; her nephews Rowan Rice and John Etheredge.  Kathleen is preceded in death by her parents and step-father.

The family will have a small memorial service for her along with her parents (who also passed away in these last few months) in the Pacific Northwest sometime in the coming spring.