CANON CITY, Colo. — Kathleen “Kathy” Louise Sabo, 76 of Canon City, Colo., passed away Monday, June 17, 2024, at Penrose Hospital, Pikes Peak Hospice in Colorado Springs, Colo.

Kathy was born Sept. 11, 1947, in Fort Dodge, Iowa, the daughter of James and Myrtle (VanAlstine) Sabo. She grew up in Gilmore City, a small farming community in northwest Iowa. She graduated from Gilmore City-Bradgate community school.

Kathy had many chapters in her life. When she was in her twenty’s she was married to Howard Zeman of Ottosen, Iowa. The couple traveled west for Howard’s work in the Forest Service and moved every few years having four children along the way. After settling in Minnesota, the couple parted ways. Kathy pursued a career in Fairmont, Minn., where she married Richard Detert and lived for 30 years. In 2019, she was single once again, and moved out to Canon City, Colo. to be close to her sister, Jan.

Kathy lived in seven different states, could work just about any job, loved being around people and hearing their stories, would literally give you the shirt off her back, and had a certain creative bohemian style about her. She adored her dog China who kept her company while hosting at campgrounds out west. Kathy had a million hilarious stories including being tracked by a mountain lion, cleaning toilet blocks so good you could eat off the floor, and meeting Bruce Willis, just to name a few. Towards the end, Kathy loved spending her time with friends and family enjoying the mountains of Colorado and even continued working answering phones for her son and daughter’s company Stewardship West.

Kathy was unexpectedly sick in May and diagnosed with ovarian cancer. On June 9, she entered palliative care at Pikes Peak Hospice in Colorado Springs where she received wonderful loving care until the time of her death, only eight days later.

Kathy (Zeman, Detert, Sabo) was truly one-of-a-kind. A friend of hers said, “when you look into her eyes, they are alive with honesty, dignity, and a depth that is hard to find.” Everyone that met her became her immediate friend. She was not afraid to speak her mind and loved a good story.

She is survived by her daughters, Jennifer (Matt) Baker of Prineville, Ore., Melissa (Brad) Krump of Roseville, Minn. and Rachel (Marc) Smerekanicz of Longmont, Colo.; son, Kevin (Ardell) Zeman of Arnold, Calif.; eight grandchildren; sisters, Diana (Bob) Miller and Jan Heinen; brother, Jim (Suzie) Sabo; other family members and friends.

A sincere thank-you to our family and friends who have supported and loved Kathy throughout her life. She was loved, admired and will be forever missed. A celebration of life will be held the summer of 2025 in a ceremony to scatter her ashes in the mountains of California. More information will be posted on Kevin Zeman’s Facebook account. If you choose to send a memorial, the family has requested donations be sent to: PikesPeakHospice.org