“For God so loved the world that he gave his only begotten Son, for who so ever believes in Him shall not perish but have ever lasting life.” John 3:16
Katherine loved God and was a faithful Christian all of her 86 years, 66 of those years (as of April 7,2023) with her loving husband Marion Bert (MB) Wethington, who referred to her as his “Sweetheart” always. Family from her childhood called her Kackie, but for most of the people who knew her as an adult and those that love her, she was Katherine and sometimes Kathy.
As the youngest child of Joseph Henry Deal and Lena Elizabeth Hanle Deal. She was born 10 years after her youngest brother, so she was very special from the moment she arrived in the world. Her mother and grandmother taught her how to sew at a young age and many people have witnesses just how talented she was. She taught her daughter Connie to sew and made all her clothes until the ninth grade at a high school in a new town, so store bought clothes were important that year. She ran a thriving alterations business for many years. She could work magic on wedding and prom dresses or jeans and jackets. There are many, many rave reviews of how talented she was. Another thing that gave her great joy was the times that she made ‘Bulldog Quilts’ and would raffle them off at one of the early games of the season. Each of those raffle winners of these Sikeston Bulldog Football quilts were very pleased with their prize. Katherine was always thrilled to present all the proceeds to the football team. Katherine made special quilts for her children and her grandchildren, some of which are worn-in so perfectly by now, some of which are still new and fresh, each with the beauty of Katherine.
But don’t think that she wasn’t scrapper! Her son, Dean, knows the consequence of underestimating his mom when he was in a headlock with his head being rammed into the wall – which happened to be a stud - or the feeling of a fork in the back of his hand for reaching for chicken at the wrong time. As a newlywed Katherine and MB lived in the very small town of Gray Ridge and MB worked the night shift. As it happened there was a rumor around town of a peeping tom and to be on guard. Katherine took that advise to heart and when MB was bending over to look for the hole for his key, there was only a pane of glass between him and a double-barreled shotgun! He couldn’t back up quick enough or holler loud enough, “Honey! Katherine! It’s me, it’s MB! DON’T SHOOT! He says he whistled very loudly as he walked up the steps to come home from work EVERY night after that.
Some of Katherine’s favorite things were quilting, embroidering, working jigsaw puzzles, word searches, but one thing she loved that lasted through all the ‘busy hands’ projects was that she loved to read paperback novels and for many, many years had one, or even several, at all times close by.
MB and Katherine loved to travel and started early with camping trips to the lake, and camping vacations to Mount Rushmore, Yellowstone National Park, and Yosemite National Park. After becoming empty nesters, they traveled to Hawaii on vacation more than once and was called to live there for a year after Hurricane Iniki and MB worked for AT&T there. They were partners in business and at home right down to the half a dozen homes they built themselves. A wedding anniversary present for Katherine one year when they were building a house on Salcedo Road in Sikeston was a crow bar. There have only been rumors of the true reaction to this gift, but it was well used by the time that house was finished. There is a bump on MB’s head that has been there ever since.
A loving and devoted homemaker, Katherine never had cookie dough crooked on a cookie sheet, she folded things the same way every time, and her home was always clean and beautiful. She loved decorating and giving wonderful Christmas parties with beautiful decorations and delicious foods she made herself, she is loved by all, missed already, and will never be forgotten.
Katherine is survived by: Husband MB Wethington of Dexter, MO; Daughter Connie S Stacy of Bauxite, AR; Son Dean A Wethington of Dexter, MO
Grandchildren from Connie - Jennifer C Stacy Hoffman of Bauxite, AR; Zachariah M Stacy and wife Jessica of Scottsdale, AZ
Grandchildren from Dean - Justin A Wethington of Sikeston, MO; Jessica B Wethington Burton and husband Brian of Dexter, MO
Great-Grandchildren from Jennifer - Shelby D Hoffman of Bauxite, AR; Wesley F (Fisher) Hoffman of Bauxite, AR
Great-Grandchildren from Justin - Olivia Mae Loraine Wethington from Sikeston, MO
Great-Grandchildren from Jessica - Mason M A Norman of Dexter, MO; Ariana S R Norman of Dexter, MO; Takoda J L Burton of Dexter, MO
Niece - Regina Deal Smith and husband Gary of St. Louis, MO
From near and from far and even from Heaven the entire Wethington and Deal family thank you for your prayers for comfort, love, and healing heart.
Graveside services will be conducted at the Missouri State Veterans Cemetery in Bloomfield on Thursday, March 30, 2023 at 2:00 p.m.
