Kathleen (Kathy) Ann Werst February 14, 1947 – April 30, 2016 Mom, Wife, Grandmother and Teacher Kathy was born on February 14, 1947 in Utah, and was the first of three children to Hank and Alice Tessitore. At age 9, her father's passion for farming brought the family to Eltopia, Washington. As the first born, Kathy took great pride in being the "oldest son on a family farm." Kathy's strength and work ethic was instilled during her childhood, when she was called upon to remove rocks from the field, help with harvest, feed livestock and move hand line sprinklers before going to school every morning. These chores were waiting for her when she returned home every afternoon, in addition to her job as a waitress in high school. She treasured the end of the summer, when she sold her livestock at the county fair and used some of her earnings for the amusement park rides. After graduating from Connell High School, Kathy obtained her first college degree at Central Washington University, and began teaching special needs education at a private school. While home from college for a weekend, Kathy and a classmate went to a nightclub in Richland and she met Ken, her husband of 46 years. On their first date, Ken drove to Ellensburg to take Kathy to the drag car races and finish the night dancing to "Magic Carpet Ride." They married in December 1969, and Kathy gave birth to Brian four years later. The family eventually moved to Pasco, which was Kathy's home for the rest of her life. A great portion of Kathy's life focused on her son's activities. She openly accepted the role of surrogate "Mom" to many of Brian's friends, a number of whom that still referred to her as "Mom" when she passed away. Kathy was an active volunteer at Brian's school, managed the concession stand for youth baseball, and kept an open door for all of Brian's friends. Along with Ken, she was the Cub Scout Den Leader and coached Brian's creative thinking teams that participated at world finals. Kathy treasured the opportunity for education, and knew her calling was to be a teacher. She was a teacher's aide for a few years, until she decided to return to school to get her degree to teach public education. She graduated from Washington State University in 1998, and the kindergarten classroom became her home until she retired in 2013. Kathy cherished the opportunity to set young children on the right educational path. She loved hearing "there's my teacher, Mrs. Werst" when she was shopping in town, and stayed in touch with many students as they progressed through school. Kathy's other passions were her love of animals and music. Kathy's first pet as an adult was her orange tabby, Toby, which she rescued from the animal shelter. Over the years, she had various "pound puppies," all of whom were given wonderful lives and daily walks. She treasured cuddling up with a puppy on each side of her on the couch. Kathy's music tastes were diverse and unique. She loved any version of "Ode to Joy," and would sing every Billy Joel, Elton John, Maroon Five and Beatles song that came on the radio. Kathy is preceded in death by her parents, Hank and Alice Tessitore, and the brother that she adored, Frank Tessitore. She is survived by her devoted husband, Ken Werst, and her son, Brian, both of whom she protected until her very last breath. Kathy is also survived by her daughter-in-law, Amy, the only woman that she would deem suitable to be wife to her son and mom to her grandbabies, Kai and Kendal, whom she adored and loved without limit. Kathy is also survived by her sister JoAnn Fridenstine, nieces, numerous cousins, an uncle, and many educators and friends, all of whom made her life special. Kathy had a specific request for her afterlife celebration. She did not want anyone to cry or be sad about her passing. Rather, she wanted her life to be celebrated and remembered positively. Accordingly, a Celebration of Kathy is scheduled for 1:00-3:30 p.m. on June 18, at Ruth Livingston Elementary in Pasco. Please dress comfortably. In lieu of flowers, Kathy requested that donations be made to the Benton Franklin Humane Society. Kathy - Your strength and love cannot be put into words. We commit to carry your strength and love forward in all that we do.