Kathleen Rae Guffey (80) longtime resident of St. Maries, ID passed away on January 17, 2022, at Valley Vista Care Center. She was born to Ronald and Alma Martin on May 2, 1941, in Fort Lewis, WA. At an early age, the Martin family moved to St. Maries where Kathleen attended school. Her junior year of high school she transferred to St. Josephs Academy in Sprague, WA and graduated with the class of 1959. Kathleen was a USO dancer in her early years traveling to military bases in the Northwest with busloads of other girls from the Seattle area. Kathleen married the love of her life, Larry Guffey, on August 17, 1985.

Over her life, Kathleen worked various jobs helping people, which was her passion. She was a professed Franciscan as well as a graduate of ministerial development for the Catholic Diocese of Idaho. She instructed preschool children in religious education for a number of years. Kathleen was a Master Gardner from U of I. Interested in art she created a number of painted pieces in ceramics and toll painting. She enjoyed knitting and learned hardanger embroidery (Swedish sewing on fine linen) and was exceptionally talented with it. Traveling to Europe on her own was an accomplishment of pride. She was an exceptional cook and was most famous throughout her family for her potato salad. Above all, she loved the Lord, her husband, and her nieces who were her world as she did not have any children of her own.

Kathleen is survived by her husband Larry; brothers Jim (Kathy) Martin of St. Maries, ID and Jerry (Beverly) Martin of Lake Havasu City, AZ; sister in-law Carol Martin of St. Maries, ID; 5 nieces that she loved like daughters Janel and Andy, Brenda and Andy, Jenifer and Brian, Debbie and Buck, and Sara and Chris; numerous great nieces and nephews.

A Catholic Memorial Mass will be Friday, January 21, 2022, at 10:00 am at St. Mary Immaculate Catholic Church in St. Maries. A gathering of family and friends to share a meal will follow at the Benedictine Hall. Interment services will take place after the meal at Woodlawn Cemetery in St. Maries.