Katherine M. Pickhinke

Kathy M, "Morton" Pickhinke, 55, of Howells, passed away unexpectedly on Saturday, October 17, 2020,

Memorials can be directed towards Little Angels Daycare or the Howells Rescue Unit.

Mass of Christian Burial will be held on Wednesday, October 28, 2020 at 10:30 a.m. at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Howells with Fr. Stan Schmit officiating. Visitation with no family present will be Tuesday from 5 until 7 p.m. at the church with a 7 p.m. rosary recited. Interment will be in the St. John’s Cemetery. Masks are strongly encouraged for the visitation and mass. Current CDC guidelines will be followed and the church capacity will be limited to 50% for the rosary and mass. Svoboda Funeral Home is handling arrangements for the family.

Katherine M. Pickhinke was born on October 4, 1965 in Schuyler to James and Alice (Nemec) Morton. She graduated from high school in Omaha. Following high school, she began working at Central States Health and Life Insurance Company where she worked until 2011 when she and Russ purchased the Mini-Mart in Howells. Through mutual friends, Kathy met Russell Pickhinke and the couple was married on November 12, 2007 at St. John Nepomucene Catholic Church in Howells. After purchasing the Mini-Mart, Kathy took on the bookkeeping and general manager duties, working hard with their food vendors to make sure the customers always had the best food selection. In 2019 she opened and ran Treasures on Main home décor located in the Mini-Mart.

Kathy was a wonderful person that was known to always have a smile on her face and was always willing to help anyone in need. In her spare time Kathy loved collecting area cookbooks and reading them to find the next best recipe to try out whether a four-course meal or baking simple treats.

Kathy is survived by her husband of 12 years Russell of Howells; brother John (Denise) Morton of Fremont and their children Justin, Tyler and Katie Morton; father-in-law Marvin Pickhinke; brothers and sisters-in-law Gary (Lori) of Howells, Larry (Karen) of Lincoln, Dennis (Joyce) of Howells, Duane of Phoenix, AZ; and 11 nieces and nephews.

She is preceded in death by her parents, and mother-in-law Lucille Pickhinke.