Kathleen York was born, along with her identical twin sister, on March 23, 1935 in St. Joseph, Missouri. She passed away at the home of her daughter on February 16, 2026 at the age of 90 years, 10 months and 24 days.
When Kathleen was born, she was given the name Lorine Fay Harrison, her twin was Loretta May. At the age of 5 months, both were taken to the “Sheltering Arms” home in St. Joseph and were placed for adoption. When the twins were 15 months old, they were adopted by Victor and Julia Smith, and their names were legally changed to Kathleen and Karaleen. The Smiths gave them a wonderful home full of love and they gave love and devotion to their parents in return.
Kathleen grew up knowing that she was adopted, and also learned that there had been an older brother adopted by another family. Kathleen was curious, but her parents did not encourage her plans to find out more. She dreamed of searching out her biological family.
In 1981, she was able to start her search. She found the name of the family that adopted her older brother, but never got to meet him. She did find other family members and through them learned that another brother had been born to her parents. Kathleen was able to track him down and was able to learn more family history.
Kathleen’s journey through life was shaped by the family that she knew, but the family she never got to know became her mission. She was forever grateful to the parents who raised her and her twin.
Kathleen was married to Gerald York for 33 years. Together they had 5 children: Melissa, Susan, Brenda, Roger, and Diane.
Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Karaleen. She is survived by her children, Melissa West, Susan (Jeff) Ramey; Brenda (Greg) Merrigan, Roger (Christina) York, and Diane (Troy) Sheets; 16 grandchildren, 21 great grandchildren; and 2 great great grandchildren.
Kathleen was cremated under the direction of Roberson Funeral Home in Bethany, Missouri. A memorial graveside service will be held at 11:00 AM on Monday, February 23, 2026 at Miriam Cemetery in Bethany, Missouri.
