Kathleen Desrosiers

life story

Loving mother, Grandma, Sister and friend

Kathleen Marie Desrosiers, age 79, of St. Paul, Minnesota, passed away peacefully on August 27, 2026, with her son David holding her as she passed from this life and went home to be with her Lord and Savior. She leaves behind a legacy of love, faith, sacrifice, laughter, compassion, and a steadfast commitment to caring for others.

Kathleen was born on December 20, 1946, in Saint Paul, Minnesota. As a young girl, she moved with her family to Brooklyn, New York. Those years helped shape the woman she would become. She experienced a world very different from the one she had known in Minnesota and attended schools that were predominantly Jewish. Rather than allowing differences to divide her, Kathleen embraced the opportunity to learn about the Jewish faith and the people around her.

During that time, she attended one of the 1957 Billy Graham Crusades at Madison Square Garden. This experience became an important part of her growing relationship with Jesus. There, she came forward and accepted Christ as her Lord and Savior.

After returning to Minnesota, Kathleen graduated from Central High School in 1964. She embraced having a sister who was 15 years younger, and that age difference led her to become not only a sister to Joy, but also, in many ways, another mother to her. Kathleen was also a devoted caregiver to her mother, Lucille, during her battle with breast cancer. From an early age, Kathleen had a caregiver’s heart—a quality that would define so much of her life.

She worked in geriatric nursing, caring for nursing home residents with patience, understanding, and compassion. She also operated in-home daycares, bringing the same love and attentiveness to the children in her care that she showed her own family. In her later years, she worked in various departments for Montgomery Ward.

After years of hoping and praying for children, Kathleen’s greatest dreams came true when her first son, David, was born, followed almost four years later by her beloved son, James. Her boys became the center of her world.

After praying for a church home for herself and her two boys, the Lord answered that prayer with Calvary Baptist Church. It became an important part of establishing a strong spiritual foundation for her family. She did more than make sure her boys attended church. She wanted them to experience the fullness of Christian life through Sunday school, Vacation Bible School, Trout Lake Camp, friendships, service, and, most importantly, a personal relationship with Jesus. Her faith became one of the greatest gifts she passed on to her family.

Kathleen’s home was also a place where neighborhood children knew they were welcome. There was often an open door, extra food, and one of her famous desserts waiting for whoever came through. She gathered the neighborhood children and made sure they attended VBS, camp, and Wednesday night church. She embraced those children as her own and made sure they knew they were loved and cared for, especially embracing Niddish as one of her own kids. Mom’s famous words “Jesus loves you, so do I.”

She also always had a Hershey’s Kiss to enjoy and share, and her family often joked that Mom should have had stock in Hershey’s.

Later, Kathleen and her son David lived in Bellevue, Nebraska, so she could be close to her other son and his family. During those years, she made many wonderful new friends at Tregaron Senior Residence. She enjoyed morning coffee gatherings, card games, the many potlucks she shared with her neighbors, countless sleepovers with her grandchildren, and becoming an active and beloved part of the community.

Her time in Omaha became another important chapter in her faith journey. At Tregaron, Kathleen deepened her relationship with the Lord through chapel services and Bible studies. She spent time praying over her family members and treasured being surrounded by like-minded believers who prayed for their families, encouraged one another, and embraced the community around them.

Kathleen believed in being present, involved, and willing to reach out to others. The Lord blessed her with many new friendships because of it. Omaha held a special place in Mom’s heart. It was a season filled with family, friendship, laughter, faith, prayer, and countless memories that she carried with her for the rest of her life.

Kathleen spent countless hours praying for her family and friends. During her final month in hospice, she was grateful to see many of those prayers answered.

She was also a devoted sports fan. The Twins were always on, and she could be heard cheering—and sometimes yelling—at the Vikings and Timberwolves. She learned about different teams because she wanted to share those interests with her sons. She even learned fantasy football.

Kathleen loved playing Canasta, Bingo, Scrabble, and Yahtzee. In her later decades, she embraced online gaming, from FarmVille to many other games, forming friendships with people around the world. As her son David loved to tell the story, Kathleen would sometimes announce that she had gotten up in the middle of the night to check on a crop, send some energy to a fellow gamer, or help someone pass a level so they could advance in the game—only to download something that gave her computer a virus, leaving David and James to come to the rescue. Those moments brought plenty of laughter and are now precious memories.

Her grandchildren became another source of joy, love, prayer, and purpose. Kathleen cherished them, prayed over them, encouraged them, and loved watching their lives unfold.

One of the deepest heartbreaks Kathleen experienced was the loss of her precious granddaughter, Esther, who was diagnosed with terminal DIPG cancer and passed away. Nineteen months later, Kathleen suffered another devastating loss when her beloved son James passed away suddenly. These losses broke her heart and made the final years of her life especially difficult. Yet even through unimaginable grief, her faith remained steadfast. She believed with all her heart that death was not the end and that she would one day see them again in the presence of Jesus.

Kathleen had a remarkable ability to see the best in people. She loved generously, forgave readily, prayed faithfully, and put others before herself. She will be deeply missed for her beautiful laugh, warm smile, hugs, prayers, generous heart, Scotcharoos, and all the wonderful food she loved to make for others.

Mom was just a simple little lady. She didn’t need much. What mattered most to her was her family, her faith, the people she loved, and the opportunity to care for others. In her own simple way, she left a much bigger mark on this world than she probably ever realized.

Her life was one of service. She was a caregiver, protector, mother, grandmother, sister, friend, and faithful follower of Jesus. She gave more than she took and touched far more lives than she probably ever realized.

Kathleen is survived by her son, David; her sister, Joy (Tom) Oswald; daughter- in-law Julie, her grandchildren, Noah(Fiancé Megan) , Elizabeth(Jordan) Spicer, Matthew, James, Emma Grace, Evelyn, Joshua, Jordan, Josiah, and Ellie Anna; and many beloved cousins, friends, and extended family members.

She was preceded in death by her beloved son, James; her parents, Wallace and Lucille Duffney; her brother, Craig; and her precious granddaughter, Esther.

Kathleen’s life can be summed up in the words of Scripture:

“She has fought the good fight, she has finished the race, she has kept the faith.”

— 2 Timothy 4:7

And now, we believe she has heard the words she lived her life longing to hear:

“Well done, thou good and faithful servant… enter thou into the joy of thy lord.”

— Matthew 25:21 (KJV)

Mom, your race is finished. Your faith is now sight. Your prayers have become praise. Your tears are gone. You are home in the loving arms of Jesus, reunited with your precious James and Esther.

Well done, good and faithful servant.

We love you, Mom. We will miss you until we see you again.

A Celebration of Life service will be held on September 12, 2026, at 10:30 a.m. at Calvary Church in Roseville, Minnesota, followed by a simple luncheon at the church.

Private family interment will take place at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, memorials are preferred to the family.