Catherine V. Kannenberg

Anyone that has ever met my wife, the love of my life and truly the greatest person I have ever been blessed to know, you know you count yourself lucky. She left us on April 7th, 2022, way too early and just too damn young.

Catherine Vera (Quinn)Kannenberg was born on May 8, 1975 in Evergreen Park Il. Affectionately know as Mom, Mama Bear, Cath, Catryn, “Red”, “The Irish Girl”, and when addressed as “sister” she quickly replied with “brother. She was a graduate of the Andrew High School and the University of Illinois at Chicago. After graduating with her Master’s Degree in Urban Planning, her passion, she started her career at Metra in downtown Chicago. Years later she gave it all up to move onto her REAL passion, raising her two boys, Collin and Aidan. At that point she went to work with CPS and eventually landed the role of General Manager of Midstates Distribution Incorporated, a small startup where she took the reins and began its remarkable ascent. For the short time we had her, that she was here to make our worlds that much better, we salute her as a JOB WELL DONE CATHERINE, A JOB WELL DONE.

If you ask any of her friends, family, acquaintances, I challenge you to find one with an ill word to describe her. She devoted her life to her family first, above all her two boys Aidan and Collin to which nothing was out of the question. Nothing was too hard, nothing was impossible to overcome when it came to her family and friends. When I describe friends, I count ANYONE that she came across that was in need of anything from a simple hug or a band aid, to support in the darkest of hours. She always knew exactly how to make things better, and if she didn’t, well, she was going to make DAMN sure that she did everything in her power and try.

When her boys were born, Catherine’s interests quickly shifted into whatever would help the most to make them into good boys and men, and whatever their interests were, especially sports. She devoted herself to the advancement and promotion of the Lincoln-Way Lacrosse program, the Lincoln-Way Warriors Basketball and Football programs, and early on the Fury soccer program. If it’s for her boys, nothing is out of the question, nothing is impossible.

Catherine was a special gift in an imperfect world, an anomaly that touched anyone she came across. My boys have heard me utter the phrase, “we lead by example”. Catherine was the epitome of kind, completely self-less, wholly unselfish, devoted to all, and the most strong and courageous person I know, always leading by example. I often wondered why this schmuck from Berwyn came to know and be loved by such a bright light in a world of darkness. If you haven’t noticed it yet, Catherine is one of those special people that we are all better off for knowing her, she made the world a better place every second she was in it. I hope that I have the courage and the strength to carry on her work here and I will live the rest of my life by listening to the voice forever in my head, “what would Catherine do.” When this is all over and I am with her again, my only goal, my only hope for the rest of my life will be that I will have made her proud.

I love you Baby

Catherine is survived by her husband Tony, her two boys Aidan and Collin, Mother Teresa and Father Dennis, brother Sean and Sharon, Dillan, Robbie and Cillian(godson), brother Eamon and Heather, Kinley, Emery and Kennedy, and brother Brendan and Audria, Joshua and Caleb. The services will be held at Kurtz Funeral Home in New Lenox on Tuesday April 19th, visitation from 2-8 and the funeral will begin at 10am at St Jude church in New Lenox, the funeral to Mt. Carmel

Please join us in the celebration of Catherine’s kindness to all. In lieu of flowers, donations to the #Cathstrong scholarship foundation can be made through GoFundme #Cathstrong, or directly to the family made out to Collin Kannenberg, Catherine’s youngest son.