Katherine L. "Katie" Jaapar

Katherine Lynn Kunkel was born during a tornado warning on May 6, 1973 in Fairfax, Missouri to Robert and Donna(Beesley)Kunkel. After her Dad's graduation from college, the family moved to Nebraska. On her second birthday, Omaha was struck by an F4 tornado. So it’s no coincidence that Katie was, at the very least by the forces of nature, a formidable whirlwind, a force to be reckoned with; fierce, loyal, capable and stubborn, the last a trait inherited from her two grandmothers.  She had two boys, eventually becoming a single mother, loving them with all her heart and protecting them with the ferociousness of a mother bear. Connor and Aaron were the center of her world.  Katie passed away at her home August 22, 2024. She is survived by her two sons, Connor Hood (Hannah), Aaron Jaapar (Alyia), her mother Donna Kunkel, brother Rob Kunkel (Faith), sister Anna Felber (Adam), grandchildren Lyle and Opal Hood; nieces and nephews-Dominic Kunkel, Hunter and Hayden Osmera, Cecilia, Iris and George Felber, and many aunts, uncles, cousins and friends who she loved dearly and who loved her in return. 

 She was preceded in death by her father, Robert Kunkel (what a glorious reunion in Heaven); her grandparents Clyde and Ida Kunkel and Don Beesley and Vera Lynn Beesley Brady.  Katie's legacy will live on through her sons and her grandchildren-those who are and those who are yet to be.  

We will always love you so much Katie - here's to you until we meet again.

Funeral Service Friday, August 30, 2024, at 11:00am at the Bellevue/Sarpy County Chapel with interment at 2:00pm in the Benton Church Cemetery, Forest City, MO.

in lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the family for later donation.