On May 28, 2021, Kathleen Ann Kollett Krause died at age 76 in Portland, Oregon. Kathy was born September 20, 1944 in Providence, Rhode Island to Edward and Mary Kollett. She graduated from Rhode Island College and joined the National Teacher Corps with plans to teach school, and there she met her husband, Kenneth Krause of Portland. They married in 1967 and lived in Providence until 1974, when they moved to Milwaukie, Oregon, to a little house on 0.5 acres along Johnson Creek, and later moved further south in Milwaukie and then to NE Portland.

Kathy worked at several Portland-area businesses, including Meier & Frank, Sears, and Connor Spring Manufacturing. She was a delivery driver for the US Postal Service and a janitor for Portland Public Schools. She found her special calling as a nanny and helped to raise several children, including her grandchildren. She had a feisty spirit and owned a motorcycle for a while. She was a lifelong fan of the Boston Red Sox and traveled to Seattle occasionally to Mariners games when the Sox were in town. Her fear of flying kept her from doing as much traveling as she would have liked, but she flew to visit her East Coast family a few times, once including a cruise to Quebec City. She loved taking the train and enjoyed several cross-country trips. Sewing was a favorite hobby, especially making dolls and children's clothes, but her grand passion was teddy bears, and she eventually collected hundreds of stuffed animals as well as teddy-bear themed Christmas ornaments and greeting cards. She also enjoyed photography and sold greeting cards of her photos at a local store.

Kathy is survived by her husband Ken, her children Heidi (Russell) Senior and Rachel (Keith) Jackson, and five grandchildren. Her older brother Edward predeceased her, and she is survived by her five siblings Mary Ann (Ray) Smith, Colleen (Tommy) Del Santo, Robert (Dolores) Kollett, Peter (Cheryl) Kollett, and Dennis (Connie) Kollett, as well as by many nieces and nephews.