Kathryn 'Kat' Leitch Hedglin

Kathryn Leitch Hedglin, age 49, died Saturday morning, November 9, 2002, at her home in Aurora.

Graveside Services will be held at 11:00 A.M., Wednesday, November 13th at the Aurora Cemetery. Rev. Jim Garfield will officiate. Visitation will be from 3:00 to 8:00 P.M. Tuesday at Higby-McQuiston Mortuary in Aurora. Family will receive friends from 5 to 7. Condolences may be e-mailed to the family through the mortuary website at higbymortuary.com.

OBITUARY: KATHRYN LEITCH HEDGLIN

Kathryn 'Kat' Ann Leitch Hedglin, the daughter of Charles and Patricia (Weist) Leitch, was born in Omaha, Nebraska on September 10, 1953 and died in Aurora, Nebraska on November 9, 2002, at the age of 49.

She grew up in Omaha and attended St. Pius X grade school and graduated from Burke High School. Kat attended University of Nebraska at Kearney for two years.

Kat was a world renowned leather artist. She received the Al Stolhman Award, this is a highly coveted award given for exceptional talent in the area of leather making. She began her art career in high school and continued to take classes in college. Kat began in water colors, acrylics and graduated to knife pallets. Her 3-dimensional leather pieces are being shown in several museums throughout the country. Kat went to Canada to take custom saddle making. She came back to the U.S. to make custom saddles for horse people in the area.

Kat married Lennie Kuszak on March 31, 1973. There were two children born to this union; Echo and Keelia.

Kat was a member of the Nebraska MuzzleLoader Rifle Association and the Ladies Chapter of the Prairie Rose Angels Motor Cycle Club.

Those left to cherish her memory are her two children, Echo Kuszak of Grand Island and Keelia Kuszak of Aurora; two grandchildren, Emilio Magana Kuszak and Isaiah Magana Kuszak both of Grand Island; parents, Charles and Patricia Leitch of Omaha; two brothers, Steven Leitch and his wife Wendy and Brian Leitch all of Omaha; one sister, Pamela Brown and her husband Bill of Omaha; nephew, Zachary Brown of Omaha; former husband, Mike Hedglin of Aurora.