Roll Call Tribute

Kathryn Jane "Katye" Kowierschke 

November 8, 1931 - July 12, 2023 

Kathryn Jane Harper "Katye" Kowierschke was born in 1931 to Genoa Neal Harper and Milam Andrew "Red" Harper in Floresville, Texas. She was the oldest of three children. She grew up in Karnes City, Texas, and after graduating from Karnes City High School attended Texas Lutheran College in Seguin where she met the love of her life - Sidney W. Kowierschke.

After graduating with an associates degree and getting married, she and Sidney moved to Birmingham, Alabama where they both graduated from Medical Technology School, and she became an ASCP-certified medical technologist. They moved back to Texas when Sidney was accepted to medical school.

While Sidney attended medical school at UT-Southwestern in Dallas, their four girls were born. After graduating medical school, she and Sidney lived in various locations but ended up in Bryan, Texas where Sidney had an independent pathology practice and Katye supervised the lab.

While they raised their children, Katye was active with the Republican Party of Brazos County and was the first woman elected as Chair of Brazos County Republican Party. Katye served as Senatorial District 6 representative on the State Republican Executive Committee for 14 years.

After Sidney died, Katye went back to school and obtained an undergraduate degree at Texas A&M University in Journalism. She then obtained her master's degree in Adult Literacy, also from Texas A&M University. President George H.W. Bush appointed Katye to the U.S. Department of Education as the Secretary's Regional Director for Region 6. After the President's term ended, Texas A&M hired Katye to work with the Colonia Program throughout border towns in Texas.

After Katye retired, she was able to volunteer at Calvary Lutheran Church for the mission trips, and Room at the Inn homeless shelter. She was a Master Gardner and Silver Life Master Duplicate Bridge Player and was very active with the Fort Worth Bridge Club. But Katye did not want to be remembered for these accomplishments. Rather, she wanted to be remembered by God's accomplishments working through her and the honor of being used for that purpose.

Katye completely lost her eyesight overnight from a rare autoimmune disease and went from being completely independent to completely dependent. She never complained. Instead, she knew and professed that God just wasn't through with her yet and looked forward to what He had in store for her. Initially, she lived with her daughter Sandra Barnes who took care of her with help from daughter Linda Miller. Even when she was in an assisted living facility, Jesus' light shined right through her. In her last years, she was able to live with her daughter, Elaine Echols in Virginia. It was her desire to come back to Texas for her final time. She lived with her daughter Karen Mitchell in the Texas Hill Country.

Katye is preceded in death by her parents and her wonderful husband and his parents. She is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Sam and Judy Harper, Austin; her sister and brother- in- law, Peggy and Dick Chambers, Norman, OK; her sister- in- law, Iva Galindo, San Antonio; her brother- in- law, Tom Atherton, El Paso; her daughters, Linda K. Miller, Fort Worth; Elaine K. Echols (Jim), Stuarts Draft, VA; Sandra Kowierschke, Euless; and Karen K. Mitchell (Greg), Castell, Texas. She is also survived by her adoring grandchildren: Matt Hooper, Lindsay Shoush (Nick), Sara Bernet (Andrew), Sydney King (Dalton), Jason McCandless, Ryan B. Mitchell, John Echols (Samantha), Pete Echols (Meg) and six great grands with two more on the way! She is survived by numerous nieces and nephews who adored their "Aunt Katye", as well as many wonderful friends.

A very special thanks goes to all the staff at Solaris Hospice in Llano, Texas, especially Sonni Hunt, RN and Skylar Forrester, MD.

A Celebration of Life will be held at her church, Calvary Lutheran, 7620 Baker Blvd, Richland Hills, TX 76118 on July 22, 2023, at 11:00am with lunch to follow. In lieu of flowers, Katye requested that donations be made to St. Jude's Hospital to help ALL of God's children who need it. To donate, please click: https://raise.stjude.org/katyek