Kathleen Marie Hartson

HARTSON, Kathleen M. “Kathy” 2/12/1951 – 8/31/2018 Age 67 years of Omaha Kathleen Marie Jones Hartson, known to most as “Kathy,” was born in Monongahela Pennsylvania on February 12, 1951 to Elmer Jones and Charlene Lewis Jones. Kathy started her life as an only child, but would later become the big sister to six siblings--Elmer “Butch”, Janet, Craig, Scott, Elton, and Jaelyn. When Kathy was nine, her family moved to Omaha Nebraska, where she would eventually call home. In Omaha, Kathy attended many schools. She was a member of J. Sterling Morton Middle School’s inaugural class (where she would later be proud to send her son and grandchildren). After her schooling, Kathy met a man named Larry Washka, who would share in welcoming Kathy’s only child to the world, her doting son, Terry John Washka on July 8th, 1969. Kathy, who later became a single mother, briefly lived with her son and her siblings Butch and Janet for a few years before moving onto a farm. On this farm, she discovered her great love for horses, which she passed on to her son. Farm life kept Kathy and Terry busy for nearly 10 years. During this time, Kathy worked several jobs, such as at a hospital and at Safeway. When Terry was a young teenager, Kathy and her son moved to Colorado to be closer to her sisters Janet and Jaelyn, and it was there where she would eventually find her heart. She loved the mountains, and remained in awe of their beauty for the rest of her life. In Colorado, she worked as a waitress and bartender in order to support her growing son. It was also in Colorado where Kathy met another single parent, who she would fall in love with. This man’s name was Warren Hartson, who had a daughter named Alyssa. Kathy and Warren married, and they spent many of their days discussing things like their children, computers, airplanes, politics, and just about anything else. While in Colorado, Kathy also attended pottery classes with her sister Jaelyn, as well as additional courses at Pikes Peak Community College in Colorado Springs. She also began to return to her love for helping people, in becoming a nurse and caregiver for the elderly. Around age 15, her son Terry moved back to Omaha, and Kathy and Warren moved to Saudi Arabia for Warren’s job. Kathy described these few years in Saudi Arabia as one of the happiest times in her life, and would later say it was one of the things she was most proud of doing, aside from raising her son. After Saudi Arabia, Kathy split a lot of her time between Colorado and Omaha. In Colorado, she was building her home and ranch, but continued to come back to Omaha to witness her son graduate high school in 1987 and get married to her daughter-in-law, Dennise Kress Washka in 1992. Her brothers Butch, Craig, Scott, and Elton were all also raising families in Omaha, and she wanted to keep up with their lives, as she always said how good of fathers they were. Soon after her son was married, Kathy moved back to Omaha full time with her husband Warren and German Shepherd, Rebel in order to witness the birth of her grandchildren--first, Tarissa Marie Washka (who took Kathy’s middle name), and second Ally Rachelle Washka. She wanted to be closer to her entire family. In 1997, Kathy suffered the loss of her husband, Warren. Being left a widow, Kathy got back into work, where she once again came back to nursing and caregiving. She would later describe this as her move into a career, rather than a clock-in and clock-out kind of job. Kathy loved people, and making connections with those that had different perspectives. She maintained the view that “old people can be so interesting if you just give them the damn time.” In between working, she travelled the world with her family, which had always been her passion. She visited many countries, saw different cultures, tried different foods, and experienced many different things. In these same years, she also suffered great loss within her immediate family, with the passing of her father Elmer, her brother Butch, and her sister Janet. Between traveling and working, Kathy kept her mind sharp despite her ailing body, by reading books about science, keeping up with the news and politics, and indulging in various art projects, such as knitting, crocheting, pottery, and even decorating her house for Halloween. She kept a vegetable garden in her backyard with her son, daughter-in-law, and grandchildren. In the last several years of her life, she spent the winters with her mother Charlene in Florida, where she continued to take art classes and enjoy her free time. She also enjoyed spending time with her close friend, Debbie, as they had the best self-proclaimed “low-maintenance” friendship. Kathy spent many weekends in the last year of her life at her family’s cabin, relaxing, chatting, and spending time with those that she cared about, and continued to do so until her final days. Kathy cared about everyone, even if she didn’t always admit it, and she valued family and family friends as the only thing that mattered in life. In her own words, “Family is the highest priority when you get older. They don’t judge you. Family is the only thing that you cherish. Your kids and your grandkids. The rest of the world can go away.” Kathy was preceded in death by husband Warren Hartson, father Elmer Jones, brother Elmer E. “Butch” Jones, sister Janet Bennett; She is survived by her Mother Charlene Jones; Son Terry (Dennise) Washka; Step-Daughter Alyssa Hartson; Brothers: Craig, Scott, Elton (Christi) Jones; Sister Jaelyn (Rich) Tomasello; Granddaughters Tarissa & Ally Washka; Many other relatives and friends. Celebration of Kathy’s Life: Saturday, Sept. 8, 2018 at 11:00am, with family receiving friends one hour prior to the service, all at Braman Mortuary (72 St. Chapel) Braman Mortuary (72 St. Chapel) 1702 N. 72 St. Omaha, NE68114 402-391-2171