Kathy Wisnefski, 72 years of age passed away on Friday, July 4th, 2025, in Bluffton, SC.
Kathy was born January 17th, 1953, in Appleton, Wisconsin, to the late Clayton Kieffer and Marion Smaxwill. She was the oldest of 3 children, her sister Karen Holden in Bluffton, SC and brother Mike Kieffer in Bluffton, SC.
Kathy was the loving wife to James “Wizz” Wisnefski for almost 51 years, marrying in July of 1974. Kathy is survived by her son, Michael Wisnefski (Vicki) Beaufort, SC and daughter, Sarah Johannsen (Todd) Beaver Dam, WI. Kathy was an amazing grandmother to 4 granddaughters, Sophie Grace, Scarlett Quinn, Shelby Rose, and Nora Ann.
Kathy was a Jane of all trades. She held many roles such as: a bank teller, realtor and church administrator, but her passion grew to working with non-profits such as being the Executive Director at Funeral Service Foundation and Chief Development Officer at National Alliance for Children’s Grief.
Kathy was always drawn to the water, being raised on Lake Winnebago where she learned to water ski and fish, followed by many years pontooning on Lac La Belle. She loved all of the family Spring Break’s down in Clearwater, Florida and what seemed like endless trips to Key West visiting her son, Michael, while he was in the Navy. Her last 10 years were spent on the waters and beaches in the Low Country of South Carolina. She had a passion for fishing, even if it meant driving her son crazy; tangling lines and losing lures. While fishing, she always went off the beaten path to cast to some crazy place and still manage to catch fish.
What meant the most to Kathy was her time with her family. She loved nothing more than to be with her grandchildren; taking them to the local parks, numerous trips to Jack Frost’s ice cream shop, building puzzles and playing card games, golf cart rides, making ice cream sundae’s, playing mini golf, going to the pool, going to the movies, camping in Fremont, WI, boating, tubing, going to concerts (Old Dominion recently), and going to the Kilte, in Oconomowoc, WI.
Kathy’s zest for life was endless. She enjoyed going to live music with Wizz, wine dinners at Frankie Bones, traveling back to Wisconsin, and always stopping at Buck’s in Louisville for some dinner, wine and Reggie on the piano. Of course, after a trip to Napa, they became quite the wine snobs. They were also part owners of the Green Bay Packers and Kathy bled Green and Gold while yelling at the TV that the players were being too rough. She never met a bed she didn’t like and without hesitation would take a finger swipe of frosting from anybody’s cake. Through all of her years, she never believed in small talk. If she met you for the first time, she was diving deep into people’s lives, even if it was for a short plane ride. She wasn’t going to waste the opportunity to get to know people. She left an undoubted impression on everyone that was fortunate to come into her life.
“Life is short, make it sweet”, lyrics from a song by Old Dominion, is how Kathy lived a phenomenal life…. Drink!
In lieu of flowers, donations in Kathy’s name to the National Alliance for Children’s Grief (NACG) are welcome and appreciated.
Condolences may be sent to Kathy’s husband, Jim Wisnefski at 4 Falcon Court, Bluffton, SC 29909