KOCHEVAR, Wendy R. 1955-2015

KOCHEVAR

Posted By: K. L. Kittleson
Date: 7/17/2015 at 12:08:31

AMELIA, OHIO - Wendy Renee Clagett Kochevar died July 8, 2015, in Cincinnati, Ohio, after a lengthy battle with cancer.

Visitation be held at Bethany Lutheran Church in Kensett on Sunday, July 19 from 5 to 7 p.m.

The funeral service will be held at 11 a.m. Monday, July 20 at the church. Burial will be held following the service at the Kensett Cemetery.

Memorials may be directed to Bethany Memorial Fund.

Wendy Renee Clagett was born November 8, 1955, in Mason City, Iowa, the daughter of Roger and Lavonne (Aves) Clagett. She was baptized and confirmed in Bethany Lutheran Church in Kensett.

Wendy attended St. Ansgar Schools where she was very active in the music department earning honors as a clarinet player in the Iowa All-State Band and other honor bands. She was also an excellent pianist and used her talents to accompany the high school choir and numerous small group soloists and ensembles.

Following her graduation from St. Ansgar High School in 1973 she attended the University of Iowa College of Nursing and graduated with a Bachelor's Degree in 1977.

She began working for the University of Iowa Hospitals and Clinics, eventually becoming a Neonatal ICU nurse and the first head nurse of the Neonatal Transport Team at the U of Iowa. She then moved to Rochester, Minnesota and began working in the Pediatric ICU at Mayo Clinic.

Wendy married Marty Kochevar in June 1981 at Bethany Lutheran Church in Kensett.

Following her marriage to Marty, she became the Nurse Coordinator of the Pediatric Transport Team at the Mayo Clinic. She went back to school to earn her Master's Degree through the University of Minnesota College of Nursing and became a Pediatric Critical Care Clinical Nurse Specialist.

Wanting more direct patient care involvement, Wendy went back to school again at the U of M in the Pediatric Nurse Practitioner program. In doing so she received the Outstanding Performance Award, earning the highest PNP Board exam score in the country.

She became a PNP in Pediatric Ear, Nose and Throat, specializing in patients needing tracheal reconstruction.

In 2006 Wendy and Marty moved to Cincinnati, Ohio where she began working for the Cincinnati Children’s Hospital in the Aerodigestive Center. She was presently working on the Gastroenterology and Feeding Team and served as great mentor and educator to many.

Wendy was an active member of the Lutheran Church of the Resurrection serving on the church council, worship committee, church choir and substitute pianist.

Wendy continued to enjoy music throughout her life and played clarinet in the Anderson Community Band and in recent years learned how to play the mountain dulcimer and hammered dulcimer.

Wendy was an Iowa farm girl at heart and enjoyed gardening and landscaping. She enjoyed sharing stories of her years helping on the family farm, walking beans, making fence and being involved in 4-H during her youth.

She especially enjoyed family time spent with Marty and their two sons, Joe and Dave. Family adventures included hiking, camping, kayaking, cycling, cross-country skiing and snow shoeing.

While in remission following her initial diagnosis of breast cancer, she joined the Kentucky Thorough-Breasts (an organization of Breast Cancer Survivors committed to Breast Cancer Awareness and the sport of Dragon Boat Racing). She participated in a racing event held in Ontario, Canada, in 2014 before her cancer returned.

Wendy is survived by: husband, Marty Kochevar, Amelia, Ohio; sons, Joe (Greta) Kochevar, Washburn, Wisconsin; David Kochevar, Anchorage, Alaska; mother-in-law, Lillian Kochevar, Willowbrook, Illinois; sister-in-law, Marilyn (Patrick) Feeney, Monticello, Illinois; brother-in-law, Russell Kochevar, Woodridge, Illinois; sister-in-law, Laura Kochevar, Chicago, Illinois; parents, Roger and LaVonne Clagett, Kensett, Iowa; brother, Steve (Mary) Clagett, Kensett, Iowa; nephews, Tom Clagett (fiancée, Melissa Boyer), Grafton, Iowa; and Reid Clagett, Nashville, Tennessee; and aunts, uncles and cousins.

Source: Mason City Globe Gazette website, 17 July 2015