Kathleen “Kathy” L. (Van Boening) Gingrich, 76, of Gering, Neb., passed away peacefully to be with her Lord Sunday, March 3, 2024. She was surrounded by her husband of 55 years and her three daughters.
A visitation for Kathy will take place Friday, March 8, from 4-6 p.m. at Gering Memorial Chapel. A funeral service will be held Saturday, March 9, at 10 a.m. at Harvest Valley Church in Scottsbluff, Neb., with Pastor Curt Holzworth officiating. Interment will follow at West Lawn Cemetery in Gering.
Memorials may be given to Brookstone Hospice or Camp Rock Ministries. Fond memories, condolences and obituary may be viewed at www.geringchapel.com.
Kathy was born Aug. 18, 1947, in Julesburg, Colo., to Roy and Agnes Van Boening. She was the youngest of four children. Her childhood was spent in Venango, Neb., and North Platte, Neb. After graduating from North Platte High School in 1965, she spent the next several years in Omaha studying at Grace College of the Bible. She graduated with her bachelor’s degree in religious education in 1969.
Kathy met Dennis Gingrich during their freshman year of college. They married Aug. 9, 1968. They were blessed with three daughters: Melissa “Missy,” Amy, and Allison.
Kathy truly had a servant’s heart, which was evident in the careers she pursued. She supported Dennis as he pastored churches in Iowa and Nebraska. She developed and coordinated children’s ministries, including Sunday school, children’s church, Awana, and Vacation Bible School, and she served in other church ministries alongside her husband.
Kathy was a stay-at-home mom until her youngest daughter started school. Then, she decided to go back to school herself. She spent 29 years working as a librarian for Gering Public Schools; most of that time was spent at Geil Elementary. Kathy loved to read and imparted the love of reading to several generations of students. She cherished the friendships she made with teachers and staff.
When not at school or church, she could often be found tending to her vegetable garden, weeding her flower beds, reading books, tackling various projects around her house or the family farm, and researching family history on the Ancestry website. A pleasant part of every afternoon was a coffee date with Dennis.
Spending time with her kids and grandkids brought her immense joy. She also enjoyed the company of many good friends. Her generous heart extended to all creatures great and small — especially to her cats. She never met a cat she didn’t love, and several lucky felines found their way into her home.
If you knew Kathy, then likely you were the happy recipient of a handwritten card. She never missed the opportunity to show her love with a card to celebrate birthdays, anniversaries, get well wishes, or just because she was thinking of you.
Perhaps Kathy will be best remembered by her concern for the well-being of others. She showed her love for Jesus by exemplifying Philippians 2:3-4: “Do nothing out of selfish ambition or vain conceit, but in humility consider others better than yourselves. Each of you should look not only to your own interests, but also to the interests of others.”
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents; in-laws; her two brothers; and her sister.
She is survived by her husband, Dennis; children Missy (Mike) Samp, of Laramie, Wyo.; Amy (Andy) Doll, of Gering; and Allison (Devin) Furby, of Gering; grandchildren Abbie, Jackson, and Mason Samp, of Laramie; Lauren and Regan Doll, of Gering; and Katie and Kyler Furby, of Gering.