Kathleen Marie Hess

rch 29, 1958 – June 9, 2023

Kathy Hess, age 65, longtime Wasilla resident, passed away June 9, 2023, in Mesa, Arizona after being diagnosed with lung cancer in early 2023. It was a challenging trip, but she was able to spend time with family and friends in Alaska the week before her passing.

Kathy was born in Fairbanks, Alaska to Omar and Joyce (Averbeck) Knabe. The youngest of seven siblings, her father called her his “little territory girl” as she was born in Alaska before it became a state in 1959. Kathy grew up in Nenana and moved to Anchorage after graduating from Nenana High School. She met Monty (James) Hess at the Holiday Inn Express Bar & Lounge in downtown Anchorage, which she always told everyone was “the cool place to be back then.” They married on April 11, 1980, and moved to Wasilla where they would raise their children, Joseph and Shannon, and live for the next 40 years. Kathy and Monty owned and operated several successful businesses in the Valley, most recently retiring from InkSpot in 2022, the business they ran together for the last 25 years. Kathy and Monty began ‘snowbirding’ to Arizona in 2016 and decided to relocate full time after retirement.

Kathy is survived by her loving husband of 43 years, Monty; children Joseph (Lisa) Hess of Parker, CO, Shannon (Mike) Croffut, of Anchorage, AK; and five grandchildren, Evelyn (10), Colin (8), Brooke (5), Natalie (5), and Cole (2); Siblings John (Mary Jo) Knabe of Alaska, Connie (Bryan) Cook of Missouri, Mary (Wes) Alexander of Alaska, and Ruth (Harry) Merriman of Alaska.

Kathy is preceded in death by her father Omar Knabe (2001), mother Joyce Knabe (2000), and brothers Joe Knabe (2001) and Richard Knabe (1967).

A celebration of life will take place at the Bayshore Clubhouse, 3131 Amber Bay Loop, Anchorage, AK 99515, on August 13, 2023 beginning at 2:00 pm. Please come visit and share a favorite story or memory with family and friends of Kathy.