Kathleen Gini Haddadin's Obituary
Kathleen, whom we knew and loved as "Katie, " was born in Salt Lake City, Utah and was the youngest of her five siblings.
Katie grew up in the Catholic school system, attending Cosgriff for elementary school and St. Mary's of the Wasatch for high school. She then moved on to get her Bachelor of Arts from Westminster College, where she met the love of her life, Munir Haddadin. They were later married in August of 1969, welcoming their first son, Sam two years later, with Nadia joining the family three and a half years after that. Munir's job took the family to various locations in the US, and eventually overseas. Katie was always game to take on new adventures and quickly made it home for the family. From Corpus Christi, TX to the desert of Muscat, Oman, Katie did whatever it took to support her family both near and far. She was one of the original home school teachers for her kids in the Middle East, working through the Calvert school system. Many of us can now appreciate the patience and effort it took to educate at home, especially without the technology we have today.
Katie loved art, both with her painting and music. She was always ready to sing any Christmas carol or song to get the group going and kept that joy alive during her residency at Beehive Homes. She also loved animals and typically had a cat or dog (or both) to love and care for.
Katie and Munir were great entertainers, bringing the family together anytime they could whether to celebrate a holiday or BBQ for fun. They were great partners in life, and were a great example to us all growing up. Later in life, Katie was lovingly known as "Taita" to her four grandkids, whom she was very proud of. Taita was the best, and often entertained the grandkids with her views on life and witty commentary, that sometimes went unfiltered. It was what we loved about her. Katie would tell you what she thought, and always had a good perspective.
Although it is hard to say goodbye, we think of the wise words of a quote she left us in a letter at her passing. "Illness, injury, love, lost moments of true greatness and sheer stupidity all occur to test the limits of your soul. Without these small tests life would be like a smoothly paved, straight, flat road to nowhere. Safe and comfortable, but dull and utterly pointless." Well, Mom did not travel a straight road and was tested many times in life, but she prepared us all to handle the same. She left us with these thoughts to which she always encouraged us to live by.
We will miss you Mom, but will forever be thankful for our time with her and the many memories.
Our family would like to thank the care providers and residents at Beehive Homes for their love, care and support of Mom in her last years.
Survived: Survived by son, Bassam Haddadin (wife Lara and kids Olivia and Adam), daughter Nadia Letey (husband Greg and kids Jaxon and Jacob), sisters Mary Smillie and Evelyn Emerson.
She was preceded in death by her husband Munir A. Haddadin, father Edward Gini, mother Charlotte Gini, brothers Paul Gini (wife Liz Gini) and John Gini, sister Anne Gini and numerous cousins and friends that were like family.
A socially distanced Funeral Mass will be celebrated at 1PM on Friday, January 29th at St. Ambrose Catholic Church, located at 2315 East Redondo Ave, Salt Lake City, UT 84108. Masks are required in the church. Internment will occur after the funeral mass at Mt Calvary Catholic Cemetery.
A link to view the service the service is noted below.
What’s your fondest memory of Kathleen?
What’s a lesson you learned from Kathleen?
Share a story where Kathleen's kindness touched your heart.
Describe a day with Kathleen you’ll never forget.
How did Kathleen make you smile?
