Pattonsburg, MO: Kathy June Pittsenbarger Walker, 71, Pattonsburg, MO passed peacefully in the presence of her husband and two daughters on Monday, September 6, 2021, after a short, yet courageous battle with pancreatic cancer.
Born on August 16, 1950, in rural Pattonsburg, MO to parents, Junior and Lois (Simpson) Pittsenbarger, Kathy June was welcomed to the world, awaited by her big sister, Betty Ann. The family remained in Pattonsburg until a subsequent move to Coffey, MO when Kathy was in the fifth grade. Kathy graduated from Coffey High School in May of 1968.
A lifelong union was formed at Coffey Baptist Church, amid a snowstorm, on December 27, 1968, when Kathy wed her husband, Gene.
Kathy temporarily left northwest Missouri to attend Aladdin Beauty School in Kansas City, MO where she graduated in May 1969. Kathy started her career under Beryldene Clark and soon thereafter opened her own salon, Kathy’s Beauty Hut, one-year post-graduation in May of 1970, at the age of 19.
The Walker Family of two moved into their forever home in Pattonsburg, MO in September of 1975. Some two years later in October 1977, Kathy’s prayers of a daughter became reality when Jennifer Jaye was welcomed to the world. And four short years later in December 1981, Kristin Kaye, was welcomed into the Walker Family, the Lord providing just what Kathy had ordered once again.
Kathy began working at Lisa’s Sassy Scissors in 1984 where she remained employed some thirty-plus years through many of life’s ups and downs, including a relocation to the new town in 1996.
After only ever believing girls were the way to go, the Lord blessed Kathy with a son, Chris, and a grandson, Zach, in February of 2003. She went from KJ to Miss Kathy June as Zach affectionately called her. Her life and heart were forever changed when she earned the title of Grandma in April 2005 with the birth of Laila Jaye, her Dear #1. Some three years later, KJ’s dream came true when a second beautiful granddaughter was born giving her the next generation of sisters. In March of 2008, her love doubled and she received another little best friend with the birth of Jaida Christal, Dear #2. And that love boundlessly overflowed with the addition of Dear #3, Gia Kristin, in July of 2011. Her family was officially completed by the addition of a second son, Sidney, in October of 2013.
In addition to being a hair stylist for fifty-plus years, she and her dear friend, Donna, had a cleaning business with several clients at Lake Viking. She loved the work she did and always said there is nothing like a fresh hairdo or a clean house to make you feel good and she could provide that!
Kathy accepted Jesus as her Lord and Savior at a young age and was baptized at the Coffey Baptist Church. She later became a member of the Pattonsburg Baptist Church where she served as Sunday School secretary and Head of the Dining Committee. She was also a member of P.E.O., Chapter BC, Pattonsburg.
During her recent battle with pancreatic cancer, Kathy June was blessed to receive wonderful care at the hands of some incredible caregivers, including but not limited to: Amy Heldenbrand, Cameron Regional Medical Center, North Kansas City Hospital, her home health nurses, her Pattonsburg EMTs and countless others. Throughout her recent journey, she never missed an opportunity to speak of the love of Jesus and encouraged others to have faith like she had. Her Facebook posts would often conclude, Our God is in Control. Her faith was not something she wore but something that was interwoven into the very fabric of her being. Kathy June never knew a stranger, only friends she had not yet met.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Junior and Lois (Simpson) Pittsenbarger, her in-laws, Todd and Gertrude Walker, and a stillborn granddaughter.
She is survived by her husband, “Mean” Gene, of Pattonsburg, MO; her daughters Jennifer Jaye and Kristin Kaye; her sons-in-law, Christopher Troxler and Sidney Smith, all of Kansas City, MO; her grandson, Zach, of Fort Worth, TX; her three granddaughters, Dear #1, Laila Jaye, Dear #2, Jaida Christal, and Dear #3, Gia Kristin. Kathy June is also survived by her beloved sister, Betty Ann and family, Gary, Lezley, Christopher, Kelly, Tyler and Melvin. Additionally, several aunts, uncles, nieces, nephews, cousins and a host of friends. KJ will be missed by her family, her friends and all that had the joy of knowing her.
Funeral Services will be held at 11:00 a.m. Saturday, September 11 at the First Baptist Church, Pattonsburg, MO under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home, Pattonsburg, MO. Burial will follow in Pattonsburg Memorial Gardens, Pattonsburg, MO. The family will receive friends from 6:00-8:00 p.m. Friday at the church. Masks will be required for attendance of services at the family’s request. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Pattonsburg Memorial Gardens, First Baptist Church of Pattonsburg Dining Committee, and/or National Pancreatic Cancer Foundation (www.npcf.us) in care of Roberson Funeral Home, P.O. Box 152, Pattonsburg, MO 64670Online condolences may be left at www.robersonfuneralhome.com