Katherine Roenitz Chesebro, 82, of Sheboygan passed away on February 18th. Katie was born on December 30, 1942. One of seven children of the late James and Josephine (Knauf) Roenitz. She graduated from St. Clement grade school in 1957 and Central/ South High in 1961. After graduating from St. Mary of the Woods College in 1965 she joined the Congregation of the Sisters of Providence. After three years of prayer and service Katie proceeded to teach grade school and high school before studying for a Masters in Sociology and Criminology culminating with research in the Indiana State Women’s Prison. Family, church and community involvement were important throughout her life. During her formative years in the convent, she learned woodworking, printing, general maintenance, finance and prayer. She was a person of adventure, laugher and creativity. Her family jokes that she gave the nuns at the Woods a run for their money. Katie did leave the convent after nine years and married Robert (Bob) Chesebro at St. Clement Catholic church on February 26, 1977.
Katie loved the joys of family. She was quite often coaching basketball, leading Boy & Girl Scout troops, and organizing out of the ordinary excursions. She was no stranger to hard work and seemed to find a way to make any job fun for her own children and her nieces and nephews. Katie enjoyed playing tennis, golf, gardening and pruning, windsurfing, fishing, fly tying and reading. She was an athlete at heart and could fix anything. When not with her family, Katie volunteered in the community and was committed to help those around her.
Katie battled multiple myeloma (a cancer of the bone marrow) for close to thirty years but continued to beat the odds and didn’t let it slow her down. She lived every day with zeal, joy and kindness. Katie is survived by her devoted husband Robert (Bob) Chesebro, daughter Margaret (Tom) Newhard of Sheboygan and their son Graham, son Christopher (Janine) Chesebro of Sheboygan and their children Henry, Josephine and Louis. She is also survived by her sisters Christine and Ruth Roenitz of Sheboygan, Robert (Joni) Roenitz of Whitefish Bay, sister-in-law Barbara (Roenitz) Barrows of Elkhart Lake and brother-in-law Dr. Jacob Gerend of Sheboygan.
In addition to her parents, Katie was preceded in death by two brothers James (Barbara) Roenitz, Thomas (MaryAnn) Roenitz, sister Josephine (Jacob) Gerend, and infant sister Margaret M. Roenitz.
Family and friends are invited to visit Ballhorn Chapels, 1201 N. 8th St., Sheboygan, on Friday, March 7, 2025, 4 p.m. -6 p.m. Additional visitation will take place at St. Clement Catholic Church, 522 New York Ave., Sheboygan, from 10:00 a.m. – 10:45 a.m. on Saturday, March 8, 2025. The Mass of Christian Burial will take place at St. Clement at 11:00 a.m., with Fr. Philip Reifenberg presiding. Katie will be laid to rest at Calvary Cemetery in Sheboygan. A reception will be held at Pine Hills Country Club in Sheboygan following Mass.
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