Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, age 68, of Princeton passed away July 6, 2007 at Fairview Northland Regional Hospital in Princeton. Funeral services will be held at 11:30 A.M. on Wednesday, July 11th at the Church of The Open Door in Maple Grove. A visitation will be held 1 hour prior to the service at the church and also from 5:00 – 8:00 P.M. on Tuesday, July 10th at Strike Funeral Home – Cambridge Chapel.
Kathleen E. Woodiwiss, 68, of Princeton went home to be with the Lord on Friday, July 6, 2007, after a long and courageous battle with cancer.
Kathleen Erin Hogg was born June 3, 1939 to Charles and Gladys (Coker) Hogg in Alexandria, Louisiana. She attended school locally and graduated in 1957. She met her future husband at a sock hop for servicemen and on July 20, 1956 married Air Force Lieutenant Ross Eugene Woodiwiss.
Ross and Kathleen were blessed with three sons. Sean Alan was born in Alexandria, Louisiana four years after they were wed. Dorren James followed two years later in Tachikawa, Japan. Eight years after in Minneapolis, Minnesota Heath Alexander made their family complete.
Kathleen enjoyed fashion modeling in Japan, later designing and creating many of her own gowns and costumes for numerous officer’s club functions that she attended with her husband Ross. In the history of the Morgan Grand National Horse Show she was the first rider/driver to have won both Amateur Pleasure Grand Championships with the same horse. Many family camping trips were also humorously remembered and retold.
On a typewriter she had given her husband, Kathleen created her first historical romance novel. After many numerous rejections she retyped the entire book, editing and double spacing it, and submitted it to one of the first name’s (Avon) appearing on a list of publishers. Kathleen was one of the first authors to enter the world of historical romance fiction of over 600 pages. She is considered by many to be the creator of this genre. Kathleen has a couple of short stories and 13 best selling novels now in circulation. With more than 36 million copies in print the legend continues on.
Kathleen’s happiest moments were spent with her children and grandchildren. She was a proud supporter of her grandchildren’s interests; attending numerous ballet performances, football games, and singing pursuits.
Kathleen is survived by sons Sean and Heath, Sean’s wife Denise and their children Alexa, Amber, Seth, Arienne, and two sisters, Evelyn Vanderford, and Lynn (Cub) Feltner. She is preceded in death by Ross, son Dorren, her parents, and six of her eight siblings.
My stepmother first introduced me to Ms. Woodiwiss’ writings when I was a teenager. My first was “Petals on a River” and I now own all the books she has written. I have read them over and over and will never get tired of them. My deepest condolences to her family. Losing someone you love is never easy. I have loved Kathleen’s writing every since I finished that first book. Every time a friends asks if I know of any good books I have always recommend hers. I look forward to reading her last book and will treasure the others forever. My love of history was inspired by her and has lead me to my dream of becoming a history teacher. So thank you Kathleen from the depth of my heart…
I am so sorry for the loss of this wonderful author.I have a collection of her books and like so many others i have read and reread them. I did not know MS.Woodiwiss had passed away until now,I suppose it might be because I lost my father in July of ’07 and somehow missed in the news,I was saddened by the news.
I just now discovered the passing of Kathleen- she was my favorite romance author and I have read and still read her books again and again, always finding some new tidbit to enjoy. My favorite of hers is Shanna.
The first romance novel I started reading was Shanna when I was sixteen. My aunt had left the book at our house and I decided to read it, ever since then I was hooked. I started buying all of Kathleen’s books and always went online to check went her next one was due. I continue to re-read off of her books. I am really saddened that she has passed, she was a great romance writer.
I am probably the last person to actually read on the internet that Ms Kathleen is dead, I am very sadden about this news. I leave in a place were we dont always see happy endings and I am a sucker for happy endings.
Ms Kathleen gave me some thing to look forward to, I read her book Shanna for the first at the age of 15 since then, I HAVE continuely looked for more of her books.
Shanna introduced me to the world of romance and I thank Ms Kathleen for this, I will never forget the feeling of reading that book and I have told the story to sisters and daughter repeatedlyhi, because it is an unforgettable story.
To your sons pls accept my condolence even if it is coming very late, but rest in this fact “your mother is not dead, she only just change form ,as she is all her books”.
I just heard of Mrs.Woodiwiss passing. I am so sorry to hear of this tragic event. I fell in love with her historical romance novels with Shanna. Ibecame a fan then, and have read all of her that she had published. My favorite is Ashes in the Wind. I will miss her writings from now on. My condolences to her family
I am so truly sorry to hear of Mrs. Woodiwiss passing. I was on the internet looking for her next book,I figured it was about time for a new one to come out. I have every book that she wrote. I have reread all of them many times. I feel that an important part of my literature connection is gone. I will truly miss her books.
As many others have done before me, I discovered Kathleen had passed looking out for her next book. I was so saddened to hear of her passing. She was a wonderful writer in which she allowed us to drift into another world for a while. My favorites are Shanna and The Flame and the Flower. She will be truely missed.
As many other fans, I found out Ms. Woodiwiss had passed away looking for her newest book. To her family and friends, I send my heart felt sympathies. She was surely a truly wonderfully giving individual and will be sorely missed. May God Bless You All.
I recently learned of the death of Ms. Woodiwiss on the jacket cover of Everlasting. I began reading her books as a teenager and have enjoyed reading them for the past 35 years. She was a true pioneer in the historical/romance genre. My deepest sympathies to her children and grandchildren.
I also just learned of Kathleen’s death while recomending “The Wolf and The Dove” to a customer. I have all her books and I read them over and over. I read her first book in 1972 and every one after that one. She was a fantastic writer. It was like she opened a door for me. Hers were the first romance books I had ever read. Many people today don’t realize what she did for the romance readers of today. My deepest sympathy to her children and grandchildren. She is missed.
I just learned of Ms. Woodiwiss death when I purchased “Everlasting”. My first book was “Shanna” and was hooked from then on. I have read and re-read every novel she wrote. I remember moving and having the box containing her books lost. I was tramatized until I had replaced everyone. I truly love her works, she will be missed. My deepest sympathies to the family.
What can one say at a time like this but, Mrs Woodiwiss, you will be greatly missed. Not only for your beautifully written tales that continue to spread around the world to women of all races, ages and nations, but for the inspiration, love and happiness you brought through these. I have most of your books I still continue to re-read.
Being a film director, I always recall your books I discovered when I was a young girl of 20, to feel inspired about love and life again. You were a great woman whom I have the highest regard for. May your name continue to soar and fly high throughout the ages.
What can one say at a time like this but, Mrs Woodiwiss, you will be greatly missed. Not only for your beautifully written tales that continue to spread around the world to women of all races, ages and nations, but for the inspiration, love and happiness you brought through these. I have most of your books I still continue to re-read.
Being a film director, I always recall your books I discovered when I was a young girl of 20, to feel inspired about love and life again. You were a great woman whom I have the highest regard for. May your name and your stories continue to soar and fly high throughout the ages.
To the Woodiwiss Family:
Just wanted to say that every year my husband bought the newest Kathleen Woodiwiss novel for my reading pleasure. What a wonderful gift. I enjoyed the beautiful novels for years reading them over and over. My deepest sympathy.
I’m sorry to for your loss. My thoughts and prayers are with you and your family. Her books took me away into a world of mystery and loves never ending joy. I have read her books over and over, always finding new enjoyment everytime. She will be greatly missed.
I was saddened to hear of Kathleen’s death. I feel as I know her and that she’s family, all through the vivid books she wrote. Historial romance readers have lost a memorable presence. All of us will miss her.
Feeling somewhat nostalgic as I look back… today’s historical romance novels could never “light a candle” to the wonderful imagination of Kathleen Woodiwiss. In my heart I know she satisfied the unspoken fantasies of many a woman of the 70’s and thereafter. The Wolf and the Dove was mine. Oh, yes, I smile now when I think back. The thrill that an author had actually captured the forbidden oh, so beautifully, in a published book. Thank you, K., for sharing.
My condolences on the loss of your mother to cancer. I, too, lost my mother to a sad and tragic battle to cancer. My heart goes out to your family. When I was a teenager, my mother and I discovered our first Kathleen E. Woodiwiss novel – we used to take turns reading Kathleen’s books, always excited to read the next one we could find. She remains my favorite author to this day and I have read her book Shanna several times, always enjoying the read. I am saddened that I’ll have no new novels by Kathleen but I will continue to read the old ones every now and then, remembering the happiness her novels brought to my mother and I so long ago.
I am so sorry to learn about your loss. Please know that you are not alone. God will be with you to comfort and strengthen you. Keep his promises close to your heart. His Word assures us that our loved ones will truly be remembered and soon they will be brought back to life. (John 5:28,29) Please accept my deepest sympathies and my prayer for peace for you and your entire family.
I am very sorry to hear of the loss of Ms. Woodiwiss. She was a great author, and I have enjoyed many hours with her stories, and still do. She will be truly missed in the literary world, but she is on to be with the Lord. Again I am sorry for your loss, and may God bless and keep you always.
I’m three years late, but my deepest condolences to your family for such a great loss.
I’m only 19 years old, but I’ve been reading Mrs. Woodiwiss’ novels for years. Her writing style and diction have been an inspiration to me in my college courses.
Your family will remain in my prayers.
To the family of Kathleen Woodiwiss. I am saddened to hear of her passing. I absolutely love her writing. I am currently attempting to purchase all of her books for my library. The one that I love the most, I thought I had and discovered it was missing. However, I will continue to search as she was such a wonderful author. Please accept my sincere and heartfelt condolences. She sounded like a wonderful mother and grandmother. I am sure that you all miss her very much.
I would like to add my condolences to those of Ms. Woodiwiss’ other fans. No written word could ever adequately describe the enjoyment her readers derive from her books. The description of “Queen” of her genre is fitting, as no other books are comparable in their quality to her works. She is sorely missed by many, and will always possess immortality, as she continues to captivate and delight readers for a great number of future years. Please take comfort in the continued love of her multitude of fans.
After reading all her wonderful stories, I felt I knew Kathleen Woodiwiss. You must be so very proud of her. Know that she reached out and touched so many souls with her beautiful writings. May God Bless your family and heal your hearts.
I was just picking up the book “everlasting” to begin reading and was thinking about “a rose in winter”, which is my favorite book, and knowing I would enjoy this one as well. I saw Ms. Woodiwiss’ photo on the back cover and could not get over how stunning she was. I read the inside jacket and saw her email address, so I thought I would send her an email to let her know how much I enjoy her writings and to wish her well. I could not connect to the website so I googled her and was shocked to learn of her death several years ago.
I wish I could have told her how beautiful she was and how beautifully she wrote. I am sorry. You were lucky to have had her in your life.
Take care.
now it’s year 2012, after more than four years of Mrs. Kathleen Woodiwiss demise. Still her works doesn’t fail to ‘prick’ even the most unromantic phlegmatic of heart. Her outstanding brilliant works resorting to being legendary will forever live, remembering her very nostalgic historical romances setting a trend on the 70’s. She is such an amazing writer that actually I don’t know if the term ‘amazing’ will suffice her enough. It sorrowed me to learn that she’s not with us anymore knowing that I became an instant fan after reading “The Wolf and The Dove” and wanting to visit and see her and gift her and shower her with my gratitude of her succeeding to ‘wrench’ my heart again with such spellbinding classic tale. It’s one of the few novels that I treasure and value so much and eagerly grasping and reading it without the merest thought of putting it down even already on the wee hours when everybody should be soundly slumbering. It struggles me to put it down and I’m unabashed to say that I’m delightfully enchanted with the masterful writing of it. Thank you Mrs. Kathleen Woodiwiss for ‘waking’ my innermost hidden desires and passions within me, only again after so many romance novels that I’ve read, now only again you were able and successfully awaken it. It’s really unconventional for me to ‘tap’ and keep hold of my interest and desires again and unceasing to do so. I kept on rereading it actually and it breaks my heart to learn that I can’t shower you with admiration and gratitude. Rest well madame, I can pass to be a grandchild of yours but your enchanting, bewitching, mesmerizing works will be passed on up to my grandchildren and with the next generation and will go on and on and will live and settle forever in our hearts. à la prochaine madame Kathleen. I’ll cherish and love you forever in my heart.
Caroline
Philippines
Lamento mucho su perdida, deseo que reunan la fortaleza para seguir adelante.
A kathleeen le agradezco por que gracias a sus libros la lectura es mi favorita, que descance en paz.
un beso y un abrazo.
I was so sorry to find out that Kathleen Woodiwiss had passed away. My prayers go out to her family. I am a slow reader and really did not like to read. Then in the mid 80’s my freind at work give me Ashes in the Wind to read and I was hooked. I have now read all of Kathleen’s books. Thank you Kathleen for being the great writer that you were. Again my condolence to her family. She will be greatly missed.
thank you Kathleen Woodiwiss. you are my greatest inspiration. your writing is a work of art, truly exquisit. thank you for bringing into my life such feelings of joy, excitement, laughter, and wonderment. god bless you and your family.
and again thank you.
I recently was going through my collection of books to donate some to a women’s shelter when I found several that I had purchased and not read. One of those was “Everlasting” and I was shocked it had slipped by me as Kathleen Woodiwiss became one of my top authors after I read Shanna. I always love discovering an authors when I get to play catch up on the books she had written prior to the one that made me a new fan. Then it is the task of waiting for each new book they publish, and that is what I did. So how did “Everlasting” slip by? I can’t answer, but I just finished reading it and was thinking it would be nice if Woodiwiss was like those authors that did a series because I would love to read more about Abrielle and Raven, what sex their baby was, if they had more children, if her mother and step-father had a boy or girl. In the quest to find out more books that Kathleen Woodiwiss had written since Everlasting, I was so shocked to find that she died in 2007. I now plan to go back and re-read each of her books and cherish her memory. Rest in peace Kathleen, and if you see my Dad in heavens library, enjoy a good book together.
I bought Everlasting today at a consignment shop. The wording on the back cover was a little puzzling so I goggled and found out I was 6 years late in hearing about Ms K’s death. The last 5 years have been so hectic in losing my loved ones that I missed it.However she was my all time favorite romance author. I will cherish all my old books by her even more. Good Bless you Kathleen.
I could have written what I read Berlinda write……I also bought Everlasting in a thrift shop and when I read the back cover I thought it sounded strange to me. I felt like she had died but I couldn’t believe it so I googled it and I found out that it was true. I just felt so sad and I wanted to tell you that I was so sorry to hear that and my heartfelt sympathy goes out to her entire family. I also wanted you to know how much she meant to me..When my friend called me back in 1972 and told me about this book she was reading she was a mess. She told me she had not cooked dinner in two nights and made everyone eat sandwiches for dinner. She said things about this book that I did not believe. The old romances bored me and I never wanted to read one. She lent me the book and bugged me to read it until I did it to shut her up!! WOW!!! I fell in love and read every book as fast as she wrote them. Then I read romance books for the next 35 years…Kathleen will always be my favorite writer and when I think of her it is with a giant smile. Back then nobody read a romance book until after they read The Flame and the Flower and The Wolf and the Dove. I loved you Kathleen for all the joy you have brought me and my mom. God Bless You in Heaven…Maryann
The loss the literary world has suffered is out-shadowed only by the loss her family feels. I share in the grief of their loss of a loved one, as well as the loss of one of the finest authors I have ever read.This incredible woman touched the lives of so many on different levels and she is still one of my favorite “heroines” of all time. I know years have passed but I still regret the loss of the chance to read more of her treasured books, and I know the void will never be filled, either in the world of those of us that admired her from afar, or in the more personal world of her family and friends. RIP Katherine, and know that you are loved and missed by all of us whose lives you touched in your own special way, and thank you for the gift of your talented legacy to the world.
Gosh, my Dad was sick and passed in 2007, so I did not realize that Kathleen W. has passed until today on Facebook. I “liked” another author’s page and decided to find one for Kathleen, one of my favorite romance novel authors. No other romance writer used the word, “akimbo!” I first read the Wolf & the Dove and my favorites were Ashes in the Wind (Civil War masterpiece), A Rose in Winter, & Shanna. I read all of her works – she was gifted. I’m so sorry about her passing.
I was a lousy student growing up… I graduated with a 9th grade reading level but didn’t know until I joined the military just how ignorant I really was. Well… I found the book Shanna by sheer coincidence at age 19 and decided to read it and was hooked. This was the first book in my life I had ever read cover to cover… loved it and all her books. It opened a whole new world to me on reading and education…I’ve a great collection of books! I’m retired now after a great life myself and I’m sad to just now find that she has passed. She really changed my life with just ONE book. Thank you!
A very good friend introduced me to a book written by Kathleen. I believe it was Ashes in the Wind. I couldn’t put it down and after reading it I found every book she wrote and read them. I now own every one of her books and I read them over and over. I was so sad to read that she had passed on. I will miss her and her stories I have come to love. I know that Kathleen will be missed by all. Rest in peace my friend.
I still read Ms. Woodiwiss’ books over and over again. A friend introduced me to The Flame and the Flower in the 70’s. I awaited each new book after that. I love the way she put a sentence together. She was a real artist. My favorite (I have read so many times I stopped counting) is A Rose in Winter. Her work will live on forever. She will be missed. Denise