Kathleen Ann Arnold, 68, of Sweet Home, Oregon, beloved mother of Sandra Walters of Keizer and Darren Schultz of Sweet Home, passed away Friday at Good Samaritan Regional Medical Center. She was born in Santa Cruz, California to Glen Howard and Millie Abigail (Breland) Kirkendall.

She was a very giving and thoughtful individual. She was a constant contributor to Special Olympics and St. Jude. One of Kathleen’s joys was fishing. She boasted record-breaking fish in her travels. The smile on Kathy’s face as she enjoyed gardening with her granddaughter Renee and spoiling her was her joy.

Family was extremely important to Kathleen as she retired to Sweet Home after the hustle and bustle of the bay area in California. The quiet life was what she strived for and was able to enjoy her family to the utmost until the end.

If Kathleen had one final statement in the end, it would most likely be “Please don’t smoke. It will affect you and your family, and that’s it in a nutshell.”

Kathleen will be extremely missed by: her daughter, Sandra Walters; son Darren and his wife Karen Schultz; granddaughters Renee Schultz of Sweet Home and Breyanna Smith of Springfield; sisters, Carol and her husband Claud Leinbach of Sweet Home and Linda and her husband Michael Enault of Yuma, Arizona; and several nieces, nephews, cousins, aunts and uncles.

Sweet Home Funeral Chapel is handling the arrangements.