Kathleen T. Seifert

For most of us, until we lose her, we have not been in the world without our mother. We lost ours, Kathleen Theresa Seifert, on June 9, 2022. Mom was born in Dearborn, MI, to James and Mary Ellen Burke on March 15, 1931. She grew up with seven siblings, "four boys and four girls", as she enjoyed telling people. Mom was very proud of being from a large Catholic family. She was immensely proud of her Irish heritage and of being "100% Irish". Mom was nearly always cheerful. She was extremely grateful to have grown up in the family she did, and for the family she created with our Dad. Her children and her husband meant the world to her, and she loved socializing with her siblings and their families. She was devoted to her Catholic faith and was active in her parish, St. Mary's (Wayne), teaching CCD classes, as a member of the St. Mary's Women's Society, and as a Eucharistic minister. Mom loved to laugh and to sing, and would seize any opportunity to do either. She had "the gift of gab" and loved talking with other people. She loved to read and to play cards. Mom was enormously proud of her children. She was incredibly impressed with our careers and accomplishments. At times this embarrassed us, but on the other hand, it was pretty great. Kathleen was preceded in death by her husband Peter, her siblings Honorah, Henrietta, Albert (Barbara), Reginald (Joanne), William (Maryanna), James (Sherry), and her nephews Michael and Matthew Burke. She is survived by her children Mary Beth (Michael Barilla) and James (Kathryn), her grandchildren Nicholas, Amber Bennett (Zach), Westin (Abigail), Gina, Connor (fiancé Janelle Baar), and great grandson River. She is survived by her sister Ellen, sister-in-law Maryanna, cousins, and many nieces and nephews. We are so grateful to have had Kathleen for our mother, and to have had her for so long. We will miss her terribly.