"Oh Peter, I feel devastated by the news of Kathy's passing. I remember what a support both of you were to me that first year in Brookings when you had Ilya and I got married and was pregnant with Louis. I loved visiting you in Sioux Falls, and the few times I was able to work for you, in Brookings and on the big burial dig in Pierre. No words are enough - know I am praying for you and your family. I hope to see you in Rochester soon. With love - Laura"
In loving memory of
Katherine "Kathy" Winham
September 19, 1953 - January 7, 2020
Kathy was born on September 19, 1953 at the Woman's Hospital of Philadelphia to Wesley Stephen Gordeuk and Olga Gordeuk (Shatagin) of Media, PA. She was the eldest of five siblings and is survived by the other four, Elena, John, Olga (Greto) and Alex, as well as her mother Olga. Her father passed away in 2008. Her family moved often: first to Danvers, Mass; then Ransomville, NY; then Montclair, NJ; and then to Glastonbury CT where Kathy attended high school, graduating in 1971. From 1971 to 1973 Kathy studied at Queens University, Ontario, Canada (taking a vacation in Jamaica with Sue, a fellow student!) and graduated with a BA in Mathematics. Kathy studied archaeology and ancient history in the College of General Studies at the University of Pennsylvania from 1974 to 1977 and took work at Aetna insurance company during this period. It was in 1975 that she joined a field trip to York, England and stayed on during the winter (1975-1976) as part of an excavation team where she met her husband to be, another team member, Peter Winham. They worked together on an excavation in Crowborough before both went on various excavations in Europe, Kathy to France in 1976 and Portugal and Humberside in 1977, meeting when they could (including the Shetland Islands!). In 1978 they were both able to secure work in Winchester, Hampshire, where they were engaged. They married in January 1979 at St. Marks Church in Little Common, East Sussex.
In June 1980, her husband landed an archaeology position in Wyoming, USA. Packing all their worldly belongings in a tea chest shipped to Boston, they moved to the Red Desert of Wyoming, with Kathy also being hired for the field crew. Unfortunately, this position ended in October and they returned to Glastonbury, where they ran the Bird House and sold Kathy's father's wood carved ornamental waterfowl decoys. Early in the new year, they both had been offered jobs in South Dakota, and travelling by train and bus they eventually arrived in Brookings to join the Archeology Lab based at SDSU, but working throughout the Great Plains. In fact, there were three people on that train, as Kathy was pregnant - with Ilya Peter Winham being born on Sept 10, 1981 at the Brookings Regional Hospital. By the time her second child, Dale Ivan Winham, was born on Dec 14, 1983 the Archeology Lab had moved to become part of Augustana College (now University) in Sioux Falls, SD. To spend more time with Ilya and Dale, Kathy worked part-time for Rehfeld's Framing, while taking on more projects with the Archeology Lab as the children grew up. Her many interests included her Russian heritage, gardening, politics, pet cats, sewing, baking, astrology, reading, history, and archeology (being a member of the South Dakota Archaeological Society - Sioux Falls Chapter).
By 2004, the children were at college and Kathy wished to return to her roots on the east coast - something that was eventually accomplished by the opening in January 2005 of "The Englishman's Bed and Breakfast" in a 1794 historic house in Cherryfield, Maine. Kathy also volunteered on, and eventually chaired, the Town Planning Board. Kathy and Peter ran the B&B and also "Teas of Cherryfield" until July 2018, when what was eventually diagnosed as ALS forced this chapter in her life to end. Ilya, now married to Emily (Sahakian), have one child, Leo (4) and live in Athens, Georgia. Dale, now married to Stacey (Wood) and with two children, Blake (6) and Laine (3), live in Rochester, Minnesota - which is where Kathy and Peter moved in 2018 in order to be close to family as well as the Mayo Clinic. They were able to move into their own home in April 2019. On January 7, 2020 Kathy passed away peacefully at home.
A private burial service will be held at the Oakwood Cemetery in Rochester on January 10.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the ALS Association Memorial Fund for Katherine Winham here. http://web.alsa.org/site/TR/Personal/General?px=8115932&pg=personal&fr_id=10053#.Xhc9iMg2qUl
Tributes
"Hi Peter. I just learned of Kathy?s death. My head is flooded with wonderful memories of both of you from our stays at your B&B. I am so, so sorry that you have lost Kathy. I knew that you were selling the B&B and planning to move to Minnesota. I thought I would search for you and send greetings. When I wrote ?Peter and Kathy Winham, Minnesota? on my screen, Kathy?s obituary appeared. John and I send you our heartfelt sympathy. Kathy was a beautiful soul whom I always looked forward to seeing and talking with. We will never forget her. We are sending a gift in her name to the ALS Association. In sympathy, Linda and John Rowe, Huntington, NY. "
"Posted by: Sue Reynolds, Cambridge UK. I first met Kathy in July 1976 in France on the archaeological excavation of a Neolithic site at Villeneuve St Germain, near Soissons. I was 17, and Kathy was about 22. We camped in tents with many others in the grounds of an old farm house and were taken to the site by car every day. It was perfect summer weather as we trowelled away, enjoying the sunshine and looking forward to the good French food and wine for lunch and dinner. Kathy was always a good correspondent and we wrote regularly. I attended her wedding and the reception at the Cooden Beach Hotel in Bexhill on Sea, Sussex. The hotel is still a popular venue, being close to the iconic Art Deco De La Warr Pavilion. Kathy and I kept in touch over the years with regular Christmas letters and I was always interested to hear about her family life with Peter and the boys and their various adventures. In September 2017 I was delighted to meet up with Kathy and Peter when they toured the UK visiting family and friends. We had a meal together in the Red Lion pub, in Grantchester, near Cambridge. It was good to catch up with her and to see her again after all those years. I was very sad to hear Peter?s news. I send my condolences to Kathy?s family and friends. I will always remember our happy times on the dig in France. "
"Lisa Brown I will always remember our days as room-mates in the semi-derelict Gillygate hostel in York, jumping from the relative warmth of our beds (mattresses on the floor actually) to pop on the tiny electric fire to ease the sheer pain of get dressed on freezing winter mornings in that unheated building. We had 'proper' winters back then'. One morning we awoke to the sound of bleating sheep, much confused, as we were in a city centre. Going to the window we were faced with a lorry full of distressed sheep en route to we really didn't want to know where. Memories of the long, cold days on site, excavating a cellar on Bedern when a too-young, inexperienced digger boy almost killed us by driving a dumper truck into the cellar, as we flattened ourselves out of the way just in time (he jumped off before the dumper went over the edge). The many pub crawls, the crazy dig parties, one of them raided by police looking for drugs who found a metal tin in Shah's room marked "POT", in which they found...wait for it - Roman sherds from Blake Street - much to their disappointment. An amazing hitchhike from York to Cornwall one Christmas holiday, no money but lots of fun. One B&B we approached had a sign that said "No Hippies". We looked at each other and asked, "Are we hippies?". It was hard to know in those days. They let us stay, nice American girls that we were, despite our scruffy clothes. A weekend stay in Edinburgh with Nan when we were all so strapped for cash that in a restaurant we shamelessly took the bread rolls and a complete baked potato left behind by a more flush diner. That was a life-lesson and I still do that now in the more expensive parts of the world - Venice, Berlin, Switzerland. I have the clearest memory of your wedding, the sisters, the friends. I was disappointed when you left for the USA, knowing that future reunions would be rare. But we valued those visits, and also Kathy's quirky Christmas round-robin letters. I'm so sorry that Kathy never got to visit motherland Russia, and she was very much in our minds when we did two years ago. In fact, the cruelty of her illness at such a young age has spurred us on to retire and get out there in the world, and do things we want while we can. We remember you with such warmth. "
"Dear Peter and family, our deepest condolences are extended to you. Kathy will be greatly missed because she gave of herself to so many people. It was a great blessing when we stayed at your B&B for the first time and met you both. We have so often remembered those days and how warm and welcome you always made us feel. You went out of your way to make sure we thoroughly enjoyed our visits with you. It was our home away from home! I am so glad to have kept all her letters that she wrote me, those memories will be special in the days ahead. We will be praying for all of you during this time."
"Oh Peter Billy an I are so sorry to hear of Kathy's passing she was always a ray of sunshine my heart aches for you and your family sending healing prayers and love??"
"Peter and family, We are so sorry to learn of Kathy?s passing. She was a lovely lady with a contagious smile. We will always remember your gracious hospitality during the bridal tea party held on the deck of your beautiful B & B in Cherryfield as well as your involvement in town events and the annual a Christmas exhibit. Sending our thoughts and condolences. Lori and Kelly Barbee"
"I remember so many happy times with Kathy. There was the Martha Stewart gingerbread house incident. We tried all afternoon to make the walls stand up, propping them with empty wine bottles to no avail. Yes, empty."
"For the people you meet passing through, for the laughter, the joy, the friendship, and the sweet memories. The house you talked me into buying in Cherryfield will always be my favorite. You will always be the best part of our Cherryfield memories. Our first visits to Cherryfield and our stays at the Englishman?s B &B were always so much fun. Our hearts are broken for the loss of this beautiful woman. Our memories are full. Our hearts are with you and Peter. Our deepest sympathy. Love , Ed Labore and Sue Hennessy "