Catherine 'Kitty' Chandler

CATHERINE "KITTY"

CHANDLER (WOJNIAK)

Cedar Rapids

Catherine "Kitty" Chandler (Wojniak), 83, died peacefully at Bartels Lutheran Nursing Home in Waverly on Monday, Nov. 21, 2016, following a long battle with cancer.

Kitty is survived by a sister, Wanda Guemmer of LaGrange, Ill.; three children, Phil Chandler of West Lake Village, Calif., Caroline (Jim) Hasty of Denver, Iowa, and Frank (Lisa) Chandler of Stoughton, Wis. Kitty enjoyed the company of numerous grandchildren and nieces and nephews.

Kitty was preceded in death by her parents, Dr. Frank and Wanda (Chapelski) Wojniak; a brother, Frank and a sister, Marianne Wollscheid.

Kitty was born in Chicago on Oct. 18, 1933. She attended the University of Chicago Lab School, graduating in 1951. She went on to attend Cornell College in Mount Vernon, graduating with a degree in psychology in 1955.

Kitty married Richard Chandler in 1957, they raised three children together. They were later divorced. Kitty and Richard co-founded CPI Sales, in 1972, in Cedar Rapids.

As a child Kitty loved traveling to northern Wisconsin to fish and play at a resort owned by her uncle Joe. She was also an avid horseback rider and was rarely without the company of one of her beloved dogs. While at Bartels, Kitty loved spending time with Lucy, a service dog trained by Retrieving Freedom Inc. in Waverly. Kitty took her kids camping and ingrained a love of travel in them. She was also a talented artist and painted actively in Cedar Rapids for many years.

Kitty's family would like to give a heartfelt thank you to all the staff at Bartels for the kind, compassionate care they gave Kitty.

In lieu of flowers or cards, the family is asking that donations be made to Retrieving Freedom Inc.; www.retrievingfreedom.org.

A private service for immediate family will be held at a later date, with no formal service being held at this time.