May 4, 2018 – The Excelsior Springs High School class of 1982 will put their classmate Kathy Habegger, and her mother Zoe, to rest on Saturday, May 12, at 2:00. The service will be held at the Pisgah Cemeterary.
As previously reported by The Standard, classmates of Habegger grew concerned when their friend, who had recently lost her mother, stopped making posts on social media. Her body was found by her landlord in January, and the coroner believed she died sometime in November. Her classmates contacted Bross & Spidle Funderal Home to see what arrangements were being made. It was then they discovered that no one had claimed Habegger, or her mother Zoe.
The class of 1982 decided to claim and bury both women. The experience has brought the classmates closer, said Candy Teegarden.
“It made those of us who were maybe just classmates, friends,” Teegarden said. “We had our 35 year class reunion this past summer, which also contributed to us coming together for Kathy. Bob Stalder has become our rock. He had stepped up and seen this whole process through to the end.”
“Kathy was a very quiet classmate, but I think she is beaming with a beautiful smile,” Teegarden added.
Bob Stalder feels as though the event has changed him, and he hopes that, by following through with the task of burying their classmate, he’s helped.
“I know having my mother pass and then this all unfolding has changed me dramatically,” he stated. He added that “life is precious, and no one should be allowed to suffer any indignity in life or death.”
He added that he was simply a small part of the larger effort made by the class of 1982 to bury their old friend with the love and respect humans deserve, and to honor her memory. The stone the class ordered for their classmate says “Lives Not Forgotten.”
“We would like to invite anyone who knew Kathy or her mother to the service,” Teegarden finished.
In addition to raising enough money to bury both Habegger and her mother, the class was able to donate $300 to the Women’s Cancer Fund in their classmate’s honor.