On October 20, Kathleen “Kaye” Kinateder, age 83, of Jefferson, passed away peacefully at home from kidney disease.
She was born on December 7, 1941, in Palmyra, WI, to Daniel and Lucille Szymkowski (Walton). She graduated from Palmyra High School in 1959 and Marvels Cosmetology School, Milwaukee, in 1960. Kaye married Walter Kinateder on February 4, 1961 in Whitewater. They settled in Palmyra, and while raising their 4 boys, she provided childcare out of her home for local Palmyra families and teachers. After moving to Jefferson, she worked at the school lunch program and Cold Storage. Kaye earned an accounting degree and worked at Morgan and Meyer. Eventually, she was employed at Brownberry Bread in Oconomowoc until she retired. Kaye was an amazing baker, especially at Christmas time, when she would make platters of Christmas cookies, and Cherry Coffee Cake. Through the years Kaye enjoyed many family gatherings and going on adventures with her sisters. She and Wally took a retirement trip to Switzerland and went on historical bus tours together. Later in life she enjoyed her regular breakfasts with the pool ladies, a Vegas trip to celebrate her 80th birthday in style, and overnight Midwest casino trips with the Fort Senior Center.
Kaye is survived by three sons, Gary (Melanie) Kinateder, Aurora, CO; Steven (Debbie) Kinateder, Helenville; Bruce (Shareen) Kinateder, Whitewater. She is also survived by her grandchildren Adam, Alex, Andrew, Lucas (Lindsay), Emily (Corey), Megan, Alisha, Tasha (Anthony), Alexander (Rebekah), and Talia (Ryan). Kaye is also survived by her first great-grandchild, Grayson Kinateder, and her bonus great-grandchildren, Farrah, Elias, Ardath, Noemi, Louisa, Rosalie, Daisy, Hewitt, Lilia, Lucas, and cousins, nieces,
and nephews.
Kaye is preceded in death by her husband Wally, son Philip Kinateder, parents, and siblings, James, Dorothy, Christine, Mary Jane and Francis, who she always considered another sister.
A visitation for Kathleen will be held from 4:00 pm – 6:00 pm on Monday, October 27, 2025 at Schneider-Michaelis Funeral Home – 900 W. Racine St. Jefferson, WI. Services for Kathleen will be held at 11:00 am on Tuesday, October 28, 2025 at St. John’s the Baptist Catholic Church in Jefferson, WI. Visitation will be held from 10:30 am until the time of the service. Kathleen will be laid to rest in St. John’s Catholic Cemetery.
Thank you to Kaye’s friends & family who kept in touch through letters, calls and occasional visits. A special thank you to the best neighbors for all the generous, spontaneous help and friendship they provided for Wally and Kaye, especially these last few years! A big thank you to Family Connections LLC of Watertown and their special caregivers, and the SSM Palliative & Hospice nurses for their support. Thank you to Fr. Tom Coyle and Fr. John Silva for their visits and prayers for Kaye.
