Kathleen Mary Zengel, beloved mother, grandmother, aunt, and friend, passed away on Wednesday, December 28, 2022, after a long illness. Kate is survived by her firstborn son, John King, his wife, Terry King, and their children, Meredith, Caroline, Brian, Michael, and John Thomas. Kate is also survived by her first former spouse, Robert (Bob) William Thielhelm, Sr., and their daughter, Mary Elizabeth (MaryBeth) Thielhelm, and their son, Robert (Rob) William Thielhelm Jr., his wife, Jennifer Sharp Thielhelm, and their children, Torin Thielhelm and Julia Thielhelm. Kate is also survived by her second former spouse, Frank Ferrante, his son, Paul Ferrante, and his daughter, Amanda Ferrante, and her children, Lily and Benjamin.
Kate lived a long and active life filled with a myriad of experiences. She was born on March 2, 1942, in Secaucus, New Jersey to William and Grace (Farrell) Zengel. She grew up in Secaucus with her siblings, Grace Ann (Lisa) Knobel (deceased) and William Zengel, Jr (deceased).
After graduating high school, Kate obtained a degree in nursing from the nursing program at the Jersey City Medical Center, which was one of the first trauma centers in New Jersey. Her nursing degree qualified her as an RN.
Kate married her first husband, Bob Thielhelm, in September 1963 and moved to Gales Ferry, Connecticut where Bob worked as an engineer for Electric Boat, a Navy subcontractor. Their son Rob was born in 1964, and their daughter MaryBeth was born in 1965.
A few years later in 1969, Kate and her family moved to Abqaiq, Saudi Arabia, a small “town” of approximate 150 people about an hour outside of Dhahran, Saudi Arabia. There she volunteered in the elementary school as a teacher’s aide and as a nurse at the local clinic. Living in Saudi Arabia as a young woman brought many challenges, but also some perks, including the opportunity to travel during vacations. By 1975, Kate had spent significant time in London, Paris, Amsterdam, Frankfurt, Zürich, Athens, Rome, and several other major European cities.
In the mid-1970s Kate and her family relocated to Glen Rock, New Jersey. There she reentered the working world – first as an assistant in a dental office, and then as an RN at Valley Hospital in Ridgewood, New Jersey, working in numerous units including cardiac care, the cancer ward, and post-op recovery.
She and her first husband amicably divorced in 1978, and Bob returned to his job with Aramco in Saudi Arabia. This was a difficult and challenging time in Kate’s life. As a full-time, working mother, there was never enough time. Even so, Kate made it work, and even made time with her sister and daughter to “take in the arts,” with season tickets to the American Ballet Theatre at Lincoln Center in New York City.
In June 1988, Kate married her second husband, Frank Ferrante, and remained happily married for 30 years until they amicably divorced in 2019. They remained friends, and Frank visited her many times during her illness.
After more than 20 years working as an RN in a hospital setting, Kate worked for several years in home health care as an RN dispensing medication to patients in their homes and supervising a large team of home health aides. Before retiring and always wanting to give back in some way, Kate finished her working career as a teacher’s aide at the Parkway Elementary School assisting young students who had disabilities and were assimilating into the public school system.
Kate’s passion for giving back included serving as a mentor with the Boys & Girls Clubs of America for many years. When not working or volunteering, Kate was not one to sit around. At different stages of her life, she could be found hiking, walking the Jersey shore, practicing yoga or meditating, attending the Philharmonic and concerts with Frank, satisfying her love of dance by attending performances including traditional ballet and modern dance, strolling through the great museums of the world, or traveling the globe. She always enjoyed spending time with her grandchildren. She also loved puzzles, reading, and playing Bridge.
Kate will be missed.
A funeral will be held at 11:30 AM, Saturday, January 14, 2022, at Woodlawn Memorial Park and Funeral Home, 400 Woodlawn Cemetery Rd, Gotha, Florida, 34734, and a reception will follow at the home of Rob and Jen Thielhelm, 11580 Lake Butler Blvd., Windermere, FL 34786.