Kathleen Ann Fink, 77, of Duluth, Minnesota, passed away on December 14, 2025.

Kathy was born to John and Jean (Howe) Quealy in Chicago, Illinois, and she moved as a young child to Hometown, Illinois. She graduated from Our Lady of Lorreto Grammar School in 1962 and Oak Lawn Community High School in 1966. During high school, she met her future husband, Alan Fink. Both attended Western Illinois University, where they became engaged and married on August 1, 1969. They had two sons, Mitchell and Adam.

Nursing and caring for others formed the center of Kathy's professional career. She earned B.S. and M.S. degrees in nursing at Saint Xavier University in Chicago. While still in the Chicago area, she served as a Cook County public health nurse and as a nurse supervisor at Palos Hospital. When the family moved to Duluth, Kathy first worked as a nurse practitioner at University of Minnesota Duluth Health Service and then joined the staff at Essentia, where she served patients as a certified nurse practitioner in Family Practice, Senior and Home Care, and Hospice and Palliative Care. During summers in the early to mid 1980s, she also worked alongside her husband operating YMCA Family Camp Nawakwa in Lac du Flambeau, Wisconsin. That wasn't a bad gig for their sons, who thought that was their home and only came back to Oak Lawn for school.

Kathy loved to exercise and was very proud of the marathons she ran in Dublin, Ireland, and Seattle, Washington. She rarely missed a day walking with her loving friend Christine. In fact, they clocked over 1200 miles in 2020! She always came back with a pocketful of "special rocks" and a handful of flowers, along with stories of nature sightings and dog encounters. After the walks, Kathy spent quiet, loving time with Christine's daughter Avera, who "adopted" Kathy as her gramma.

In her last years, Kathy was an enthusiastic and devoted member of the Victory Chorus of Duluth.

As a hospice and palliative care nurse practitioner for Essentia, Kathy helped with the opening of and provided nursing care at Solvay Hospice House, and that is where she passed peacefully with her husband by her side on her birthday, December 14, 2025.

Kathy is preceded in death by her parents, John and Jean Quealy; and nephew, Mark Swiecicki.

Kathy is survived by her husband of 56 years, Alan Fink; son, Mitchell and Amy (Morris) Fink and grandsons, Jack and Alex Fink; and son, Adam and Gillian (Brown) Fink and grandson, Eamon Fink. Also surviving her are seven brothers and sisters: Mary Kay (Quealy) Boyle; John and Carol (Hayes) Quealy; Daniel and Debbie (Siemeck) Quealy; Jean (Quealy) and Mark Swiecicki; Nancy (Quealy) and Chris Wiksten; Patrick and Carrie (Lanigan) Quealy; Eileen (Quealy) and Mike Novak; as well as numerous nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be held at 11:00 AM on Friday, January 9th at Sunrise Funeral Home, 4798 Miller Trunk Hwy, Hermantown, with Celebration of Life to follow at 12:00 PM. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kathy's memory to Solvay Hospice House https://solvayhospicehouse.org/how-to-give/ (mailing address Miller-Dwan Foundation, 225 W. Superior St., Suite 110, Duluth, MN 55802) or to the Victory Chorus https://www.thevictorychorus.org/listen#donate .