Obituary of Lillian Kathleen Eckhart

Kathy Eckhart

Nov 9, 1949 – Apr 25, 2021

Lillian Kathleen Eckhart (Kathy) passed away in Saskatoon shortly after being diagnosed with cancer. She was predeceased by her parents, Walter and Lillian.

Kathy was a generous, kind-hearted person who made friends wherever she went. Her playfulness drew people to her, and her loyalty kept them close. She never arrived anywhere empty-handed, and her thoughtfulness was felt by many. It gave her immense joy to find the perfect gift for her loved ones and she never forgot to include her furry friends.  Kathy loved collecting books, playing in her garden, and spending time with the people she loved. Kathy was embraced by her neighbours and was a beloved honorary family member in many families. She will be forever in our hearts.

Kathy had many friends spread across Canada. She kept in touch with friends from her school days in Eldorado, from training and working in Ottawa, and her years working in Saskatoon. She told stories of flying in and out to Eldorado for vacations, doctor, and dentist appointments. One story she often told was coming down south to have her wisdom teeth removed. She insisted she wasn’t going back for a second trip so had all four removed at once. She didn’t remember much after except curling up in the hotel bed and sleeping until they boarded the plane back.

She was always marvelling at new technology and commented how things had changed since her time as an X-ray technician.

On an outing with Kathy you needed to allow time for stopping and chatting as she bumped into friends wherever she went. She loved her books and volunteered with the Saskatoon Symphony Book Sale spending many hours sorting and pricing all the while looking out for that special book for someone in her life. The fact that she got to socialize with all the other volunteers was a bonus.

Though she never owned a pet she had many furry friends and loved sitting down for a cuddle, often volunteering to pet sit when friends were out of town.

Kathy loved puttering in her garden, but quietly competed with friends to see who had the first ripe tomato or harvested the first potato. When her father passed away, she moved back home to help her mother. This is when her gardening took off. Mom used to stand outside with her straw broom (she insisted she didn’t need a cane) and instruct Kathy in the planting of peas, beans, beets and lots of potatoes. Always lots of potatoes. They loved to harvest beet greens for a salad and couldn’t wait for the first pickings from the garden. Kathy especially loved her lilies and had many varieties planted throughout the yard and was always looking for new varieties. She loved to visit various green houses in the area to pick up flowers for her garden. Often going back two or three times and ending up with not enough space for all the plants, then donating the extras to her friends so she could watch them bloom in their gardens.

When Kathy and her parents moved to Saskatoon in 1977 Kathy purchased her first (and only) car, a 1977 Ford Granada. We teased her about driving her green machine but she never gave in to the lure of a new vehicle, though she did love heated seats when riding in newer vehicles. Just another example of her loyalty, she was not trading in her car! 

A Graveside service will be held on Monday, May 3rd at 1:00 p.m.  Please meet at the front gate of Woodlawn cemetery at 12:45 p.m.