Kathryn Ellen Berg

Kathryn Ellen Berg, beloved sister, mother, and grandmother, died in Durango, Colorado, on December 31, 2024.

Kathy was born January 22, 1944 in Chicago, Illinois. She was the second of three children born to Sidney H. Berg (1912–1971) and Layle Weinberg Berg (1912–2002).

The family moved to Colorado in 1948. Kathy attended Palmer Elementary, East Junior High, and Wasson High School in Colorado Springs; she was also a Brownie and a Girl Scout. Kathy played the flute and was a member of the band, igniting a life-long love of music that she passed on to her children and grandchildren. The family was also active in the small Jewish community through Temple Beth El, where Kathy participated in a Jewish youth group; the kids also enjoyed horses, the rodeo, and fell in love with the Rockies.

Kathy attended the University of Colorado, Boulder, graduating with a History major and a minor in Library Science in 1966. In Boulder she met David Barber, an architecture student; they were married in September 1965. In 1967, David and Kathy emigrated to Sydney, Australia, returning soon after the birth of their first son in 1968 and eventually settling in Colorado Springs’ North End, where they raised their three boys. Kathy was a devoted mom, talented potter, and an active supporter of the public library, the Downtowners revitalization group, and the symphony orchestra. Kathy and David divorced in 1980.

In the 1980s Kathy was the owner of Petunia Q’s, a vintage clothing store in downtown Colorado Springs. She was known on Tejon Street for her naturally curly hair and a smile as bright as her outfits. Kathy was a smiling presence in her store, and with her children and family and their friends. Her boys were day students at the Colorado Springs School, and her house became an oasis to their boarding-student friends. Many an afternoon found the kids sprawled around the sunken living room, taking comfort in the chili and nachos, tortilla-pizzas, and pound cake that Kathy loved to make for everyone. Her joyful openness and generosity was a model for this young crowd, as was her love of the outdoors and dedication to a healthy lifestyle.

In the 1990s, Kathy worked as radio station KRCC’s development director and as a massage therapist, later moving to Salida, Colorado. As part of her work as a librarian for the Salida Regional Library, she began promoting and presenting poetry readings and workshops, coordinating with other regional libraries to bring both locally- and nationally-known poets into the mountains to share their work. She continued to champion poetry through similar programs at the Cortez Public Library upon moving to Cortez, Colorado in 2006.

Kathy spent her final years in Cortez and Dolores, close to some of her beloved children and grandchildren, and amid the high desert landscape she cherished.

Kathy is survived by her sister Patty, her sons Patrick, Chris, and Daniel, her five grandchildren, and a remarkable collection of earrings.