Kathleen A. Lyman

On October 19, 2024, Kathleen (Kathy) Ann Lyman, age 73, of Winona, MN, passed away suddenly in her home with her beloved husband Lawrence (Larry) by her side.

Kathy was born July 26,1951, to Robert and Evelyn (Maier) Kowalewski, and spent her childhood in Winona, MN. She was a lifelong parishioner of the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka and attended their parochial school for grades K-8, before attending Cotter High School where she was a member of the class of 1969. After graduation she enrolled at Winona State University before marrying her high school sweetheart, Larry Lyman in April of 1970. They started a family and moved to Lompoc, CA, and Dover, DE, so Larry could serve in the US Air Force. Following his honorable discharge from the military, in July of 1977 Kathy returned to Winona where she raised her growing family. She remained in Winona for her entire life until retirement. Then due to mobility challenges, she spent her final years in her family’s second residence in Cedar Falls, IA, where she could more easily navigate her home. 

Kathy completed her BS in Accounting at Winona State University as a nontraditional student in December of 1980, just months after giving birth to her 4th child. It was so out of the ordinary for the time that it warranted an article in the Winona Daily News praising her accomplishments. Kathy was thoroughly occupied with parenting her 4 children from 1970-1998 but worked numerous part-time jobs during the first 15 years of her children’s lives. In the early 1980s she began working as a film editor for Camera Art in Lewiston, MN and stayed there until the mid-1990s. This began her hobby in photography, which she pursued until her final years. She spent the last 16 years of her career at Benchmark in Winona, MN.

Throughout her life Kathleen was service oriented. She was an active member of the Jaycees and Jaycee Women throughout the 1980s. She organized events including the Miss Winona Pageant and was the Steamboat Days Parade Chairman in 1987. She was the Jaycee Woman of the Year in 1983, and she also received the John Armbruster Keyman award for service in 1988. Additionally, she helped fundraising and accounting whenever needed with organizations including The Elks, The Eagles, Knights of Columbus, and the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka. Most recently she expressed her support of many organizations financially, and was a consistent donor to Matthew 25 Food Shelf at St. Patrick’s Church in Cedar Falls, IA. She truly expressed love through giving. 

Kathy was one of a kind. Her interests and passions ran deep. She loved Disney, Steamboat Days and the MN State Fair. Her other joys were beaches, vineyards, the regency era, horseback riding, shelties, bargain hunting, romance novels, tea, jewelry, her husband, and conversation. She traveled throughout the U.S. and had visited over 40 states. Her favorite places were California’s central coast, Rehoboth Beach, DE, Historic Williamsburg, VA, New England, and all Disney Parks. Her greatest adventure was a Hawaiian Cruise to celebrate her 25th wedding anniversary during which she snorkeled Molokini Crater and rode horses with her husband on the island of Kauai. During the later years of Kathleen’s life, she was hampered by mobility, but this never stopped her from having a robust social life. On a typical day, she conversed with half a dozen friends and family members, and often had multiple calls going at the same time, sometimes while watching a Hallmark Channel movie.

Kathy was preceded in death by her parents: Robert and Evelyn Kowalewski. She is survived by her husband, Lawrence Lyman, Sr.; siblings: Patricia and Robert (Sheryl) Kowalewski; her children: Kathleen Pomakis, Lawrence Lyman, Laurie Boustany, and Robert Lyman. She especially loved her grandchildren: Kassandra Pomakis, Matthew Lyman, Theodore Boustany and Genevieve Boustany. 

The family would appreciate memorials to be directed to the Winona Food Shelf via Winona Volunteer Services 402 E 2nd St, Winona, MN 55987.

Visitation will be held at the Watkowski-Mulyck Funeral Home, 376 E. Sarnia St., Winona, on Tuesday, October 29, 2024, from 4 PM until 6 PM, where a prayer service will be held at 5:45 PM. Visitation will also be held at the Basilica of St. Stanislaus Kostka, 625 E. 4th St., Winona, on Wednesday, October 30, 2024, from 10 AM until the Mass of Christian Burial at 11 AM. The Very Reverend Patrick Arens will officiate. Burial will be in Woodlawn Cemetery. A luncheon will follow in the Parish Hall of the Basilica.

Online condolences or memories may be left for Kathy’s family at www.watkowski-mulyck.com.