On Nov. 1, 2018, Erin Kathleen Fitzpatrick Kinsey, aged 51 years, passed peacefully in her sleep while in hospice care in Wilmington, N.C., while surrounded by loved ones.
Erin was born into this world to Michael and Marianne Fitzpatrick on Sept. 2, 1967, in Santa Barbara, Calif. As a young girl Erin enjoyed spending time at Butterfly Beach with her mom, sister Kelly and aunt Nancy and also going fishing with her dad at Cachuma Lake.
When the family home was consumed by wildfire in 1978, Erin’s parents returned the Fitzpatrick clan to its midwestern roots in Warsaw, where Erin spent her teenage years and graduated from Tippecanoe Valley High School in 1985. Following high school, Erin attended Butler University and Purdue University where she worked as a teaching assistant and earned her baccalaureate degree in biology.
Erin married Sean Kinsey on Aug. 13, 1988 at St Anne’s Episcopal Church in Warsaw. Following their graduation from Purdue in May 1992, the couple moved to Omaha, Neb., where Erin worked as a research assistant in pharmacokinetics at the University of Nebraska-Omaha. Erin gave birth to a son, Angus, while living in La Vista, Neb. and then moved to Blue Mounds, Wis. where a second son, Malcolm, was born.
Erin’s love for her sons and passion for learning and knowledge led to the homeschooling of her children during their primary school years while living on a small farm in rural Mount Horeb, Wis. There Erin enjoyed raising and breeding llamas, and a long run operating a small successful cattery with a feline outcross breed of her own design, which she named the Coonamuffin.
Erin found a new home in Wilmington in 2017 following the end of her marriage in 2016. In Wilmington, Erin met the love of her life, Christoph Rumler, to whom she was engaged at the time of her death. Erin and Christoph enjoyed traveling and spending time at the seashore with their Australian shepherd and were to be wed in Christoph’s native Germany in December.
A fierce intellect, love of wordplay, lively debate; Erin bestowed her sons with many of these same strengths that she possessed, along with a great thirst for reading, science fiction, and a love of music. Although separated by half a continent, every sunrise brought Erin fond and loving memories of the sons she held so dear.
Erin is survived by sons Angus and Malcolm; parents Mike and Marianne; sister Kelly (Mike) Thompson, brother Sean Fitzpatrick, nephews Luke, Jake and Ben Thompson; nieces Sarah, Laura and Hannah Thompson and Addy Fitzpatrick; and many treasured aunts and uncles.
Erin was an excellent cook and baker and she thoroughly enjoyed sharing meals, cookies, breads and pies with friends and family throughout the year. Her light burned fast and bright; Erin was a lively conversationalist who brought great joy and laughter to many, many people; her passing leaves a void for those who knew and loved her.
A celebration of Erin’s life is planned for 11 a.m. Friday, Nov. 23 at The River coffeehouse in North Webster.
