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Kathleen became active in our group at a time which predates it's current form, when it was known simply as "The Welsh". At one time she even sang in the choir. A native speaker of Welsh, who first learned English in her teenage years, she was indispensable to the language class, though she seemed to prefer making our tea to discussing points of grammar. In fact she was most often to be found in the kitchen, overseeing the pots and kettles as only she could do. Her recipes for Welsh cakes and bara brith are known throught the Society. To lose such a friendly, hardworking, uncomplaining, dear woman is a hardship indeed.
Nancy NoyesKathleen was born in the small North Wales village of Abergynolwyn. The pink arrow in the photo points to the home where Kathleen grew up. Her parents ran a shop in the right side of the downstairs. The doorway has been sealed now and painted white. The home, a huge stone and slate roofed structure was nearly 50 years old when Kathleen was born and it is still in use today as a family holiday retreat! Located by the narrow bridge over the river Gwernol, the home is known as ' Gwernol'.
Kathleens childhood education was, I'm sure, received at the only school in the village. The Abergynolwyn School' is still in use today. Later, she traveled into England to study nursing. After graduation her uncle encouraged her to come with him to Denver, Colorado where she became part of the nursing staff at National Jewish hospital which specializes in respiratory ailments of all sort. She worked on the pediatric department and was known there as 'Kay Hughes'.
After retirement from National Jewish hospital, she would return home most every summer to the little village of Abergynolwyn. She never wished to move permanently there and after a summer back home in Wales' she would return to her highrise apartment condominium in Denver suffering a bit from some minor culture shock, I'm sure.
She became increasingly involved with The Welsh group in Denver. Every year she was asked to teach a Welsh language class. 'Oh, no, I couldn't do that.' was her standard reply ... until the year that Dave Jones, who had been a school teacher, volunteered to assist her with the 'scholastic stuff'. For years then, our class was hosted in the meeting rooms for her condo building, except for when room scheduling conflicts arose.
In class her explanation of Welsh grammer was indeed unique. One just could not argue with 'That's the way to say it.' or 'That just does not sound right.' or 'That must be the way it's said in South Wales.'Trefor Roberts
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