Kathleen Wickham

Kathleen E. Wickham traveled to “the great beyond” (her words) in her sleep early in the morning on September 4, 2026. She was 101 years old. She is survived by her two sons, John of Forest Grove, OR, David of Lafayette, CO, six grandchildren, and 5 great grandchildren. She was preceded in death by her husband, John, a son, Kenneth, and a grandson, Aaron.

Kathleen was born in Portland, Oregon, on July 2, 1925, and raised in Hillsboro. A native Oregonian, she came from pioneer stock. Her ancestors arrived in Oregon by wagon train in the 1850s, as beneficiaries of the Donation Land Claim program. She was a “card-carrying” member of the Greatest Generation—a genuine “Rosie the Riveter.” During World War II, she worked as a welder in the Swan Island shipyards in Portland, Oregon. After the war was over, she married John G. Wickham, who had served in the Pacific theater as a navigator on the B-24.

For a large part of her life, Kathleen was a homemaker. She raised three boys in Colorado Springs and was a tireless supporter of all of their athletic and academic endeavors. She traveled to away football and basketball games, typed term papers the night before they were due, and even brought milkshakes to school for lunch when one of her boys had his teeth loosened in an ice hockey accident.

She was fiercely independent, living in her own condominium in Boulder until she was 98 years old when she moved into an independent living facility in Louisville, CO. Even at 101, her mind was still very sharp. She could actively engage in discussions about a wide variety of subjects

and come up with obscure words when working on crossword puzzles. She had a sharp wit and was a strong presence in any room she entered. She will be missed by her family and friends.

A graveside service will be held on Friday, October 23, 2026 at Fort Logan National Cemetery at 11:30 am, staging area Blue. (3698 S Sheridan Blvd, Denver, CO 80236)