Kathryn Ellefsen Wretberg

Kathryn Ellefsen Wretberg, 57, passed away October 31, 2023 after a long and courageous battle with heart failure. 

She was born March 18, 1966, to Don and Kathleen Ellefsen in Salt Lake City. Known affectionately by family and friends as Kat, she lived a spirited life of adventure, accomplishments, and strong-willed determination despite dealing with health issues from an early age. Her life story is overflowing with examples of resilience, tenacity and perseverance, despite any obstacles her heart and body attempted to throw in her way.

Kat was the consummate survivor, constantly defying the odds since being diagnosed as a six-week old baby with a congenital heart disorder. She faced her first surgery at that young age and survived despite being given a 50-50 chance. She had three heart surgeries before graduating from Cottonwood High School in 1984.

Following graduation, she yet again defied the odds with her diagnosis of Hodgkins.  The diagnosis required a round of radiation therapy.  Each diagnosis was met with Kat’s strong determination to live a life full of normalcy – a normalcy instilled by her parents and family members. 

Kat fondly remembered one instance at the age of 7 when she returned home three days after undergoing open heart surgery. Her older sister Joni was so excited to see her that she picked her up, squeezed her in a hug while spinning her around in the joy of seeing her. 

While her heart may not have been as healthy as most, it became Kat’s driving force. That force propelled her to excel in athletics with only one caveat: her mom said one sport was off limits: competition swimming. But even that sport had a place in Kat’s life. Her dad relented in allowing her to swim one race. She was in the water before her mom could stop her and finished the race in Kat-style: with no problems.

Kat’s health never held her back in pursuing softball and competition soccer with her sisters. She even completed five triathlons.

Kat’s heart held a special place for her family and friends. 

Being a twin sister was an added bonus. With Suzanne as her cohort and twin, she felt like she always had someone with which to share special moments in school and sports. Suzanne refused to share only one special moment. Kat thought sharing the same wedding date would be ideal. Suzanne politely said no. 

Kat married Rick September 6, 1988.  “He always thought I was out of his league, but I loved his beautiful eyes,” she said. She said his eyes enchanted and mellowed out her “feisty spirit.” Rick likewise recognized the grit and determination exhibited by his new wife and affectionately called her “his warrior queen.” And, warrior she was. “We are each others’ savior,” she said about Ricky “We were good for each other.”

Their marriage provided Kat with another experience she was craving: the role of motherhood in helping raise Rick’s two children, Cortney and Jake. Kat vividly remembers the day Cortney called her mom while the two were shopping in a grocery store. Kat was also there to help Cortney and Jake with their homework while their dad was in school.

When not watching her stepchildren, Kat and Rick enjoyed hanging out with each other. They went everywhere together: rock crawling, camping, kayaking, going on long car rides to purchase lottery tickets, RV excursions with their dog Zac,  and participating in archery target shooting. The two of them also loved traveling to Lake Powell and Flaming Gorge with Rick’s family. 

Kat’s family was equally important. Kat has fond memories of holidays, family birthdays and yearly trips to Jackson, Wyo. with her parents, aunts and uncles and siblings. She reminisced about the laughter and camaraderie playing gin rummy, Boggle and hiking in Yellowstone. “My parents were everything to me, even to this day. They never made me feel broken.”

Her one regret in life? “I thought I’d live forever,” she reflected recently. “I wanted to grow old and watch my nieces and nephews [grow old].”

She has fond memories of cookie decorating parties, attending baseball and soccer games, and cuddling her nieces' and nephews’ children when they were babies. Her motherly skills came into play for a brief time watching and teaching her niece’s two children the alphabet and sign language while babysitting them, and further in her role as “the neighborhood mom.” 

Kat, the “neighborhood mom” held sleep overs and pizza parties for the neighbor girls who lived across the street. She even traveled with them to dance competitions.

She supplemented her caretaker roles with a healthy dose of education, teaching all her young charges the intricacies of the praying mantis, butterflies and her all-time favorite, hummingbirds.

Kat also had the uncanny ability to collect what she truly valued – friendships. Her friend network spans time and the continent. One, who she proudly claimed as a continuous friend from the age of 3, was a bonafide confidant throughout the decades. Her network encompasses her school, work, and years of socializing in various activities. Her most recent friend acquisitions go by the name “my ladies.” She met them through swimming and remarked that she wouldn’t be the least surprised if “her ladies” placed a rubber ducky in her casket. She is especially grateful to all those friends, who have supported her throughout the years. 

She is survived by her husband, Rick; stepdaughter, Cortney Wretberg and stepson, Jake Wretberg; siblings, Terri (Allen) Swain; Gary (Mary Ellen); Lisa (Randy) Ellefsen; Joni Konschot; twin sister Suzanne (Michael) Wahls; brother Eric; sister-in-law Debbie (Hal) Snedaker, numerous nieces and nephews; mother- and father-in-law, Marlene and Doug Wretberg. She was preceded in death by her mother and father.

A Celebration of Life honoring Kat’s legacy and life will be held on Wednesday, November 8, 2013 from 6:00 PM until 8:00 PM at Starks Funeral Parlor, 3651 South 900 East, Salt Lake City. 

The family wishes to thank the Intermountain Hospice team Arla, Gretchen, Lindsey, and all of the other nurses and CNAs who supported Kat though the difficult end of life process.

In lieu of flowers  consider making donations in Kat’s name to Primary Childrens Medical Center.