Katherine "Kathie" Marie Agner

Katherine “Kathie” Agner, age 70, of Eaton Rapids, passed away Tuesday, April 17, 2018. The daughter of James & Lilas O’Neill, she was born on March 21, 1948 in Carlinville, IL. Kathie grew up in Detroit, MI where she married the love of her life, Edward Agner, who was “the boy next door”. They were married in 1970 in Honolulu and resided there for 35 years. They raised two sons, Brian and Thomas. They loved living in Honolulu and loved the beauty of the island and the warm climate. Family was most important in Kathie’s life. She adored her four grandchildren, Sherilyn, Stacy, and Caleb, who still live in Honolulu, and 3 yr. old Bryson, who lives in Irvine, California with Brian (Lucy).

In the years after her boys were grown, Kathie was up at dawn providing care for a disabled friend. She voluntarily drove friends and acquaintances to doctor appointments and ran errands for them. She made friends from all walks of life and they became lifetime friends. Routinely, she would meet them at McDonalds to share stories, enjoy each other’s company and she even hosted potlucks. They counted on Kathie to prepare the main entrée. She drove her grandchildren to and from school and they enjoyed coming over for sleepovers. Kathie was a loyal wife, mother, daughter, sister, grandmother and most of all, a friend.

Kathie moved back to Michigan in 2016 to be closer to her parents and siblings. She resided at Country Acres in Eaton Rapids. Kathie was known to have the “gift of gab”, especially on the telephone, which is how she stayed in contact with her sons, grandchildren, and her many friends and family. Kathie loved to be “out and about”. She was a bargain shopper and was happy to spend a day going from shop to shop to get her best deal. She especially loved to go out for breakfast or lunch followed with a movie at the theater. She collected bird figurines and enjoyed watching the birds outside her window. Her greatest joy was spending time with family and friends. Kathie had a magnetism about her that attracted people. Strangers would stop to talk to her and would soon discover they had a connection from the past.

Kathie was predeceased in death by her husband, Edward; father, James O’Neill, and brother, Dennis. Surviving are her mother, Lilas; two sons, Brian (Lucy Tran) Agner and Thomas (Kay) Agner; four grandchildren, Sherilyn, Stacy, Caleb and Bryson; two siblings, Connie (Richard Boughner) O’Neill and Carolyn (Jim) Nacy; two nieces, Kate and Emily (Jon); and nephew, Anthony (Kathryn) Fioravanti.

The family wishes to thank Great Lakes Hospice for their professionalism, tender care and support they provided during Kathie’s final days.

The staff at Country Acres provided extraordinary care for Kathie over the last two years. They were compassionate, caring and they treated Kathie like a queen. Memorial contributions can be made to Country Acres as they continue to provide quality-of-life care to the residents, 735 S. Michigan Rd., Eaton Rapids, MI 48227.