Mary Kathleen “Kathy” Ackmann, age 71, of Atchison, Kansas, died Tuesday, October 5, 2021 at Mission Village Nursing Home in Horton, Kansas.

Cremation is planned. A celebration of her life will be held at a later date and will be announced at that time. The Arensberg-Pruett Funeral Home has been entrusted with cremation care.

Kathy was born on June 2, 1950 in Atchison, Kansas, the daughter of Donald and Mary Maxine (Williams) Daigh. She attended St. Benedict’s Elementary School and graduated from Mount St. Scholastica in 1968.

Kathy was often seen as a friendly face working at Lot-A-Burger in Atchison for many years and she spent the rest of her working career as a cook and waitress at different restaurants.

She was a free-spirited lady and loved being outdoors. She could often be found wading into a nearby creeks, looking for rocks and sticks and making her children drag it all home! She enjoyed doing crafts, including painting and spending time with her pets; she could be considered a dog fanatic- she loved her dogs!

Survivors include her children, Margaret “Maggie” Bailey, Hiawatha, KS; two sons, Kelly Rutledge, Atchison, KS, Christopher (Regina) Bailey, Lathrop, MO; a brother, William (Donna) Daigh, Virginia Beach, VA; three grandchildren and four great grandchildren.

She was preceded in death by her parents.