1957-2025
Kathy Dee Dauber, 68, of Winfield, Kansas, passed away peacefully at her home on Sunday, December 28, 2025.
Kathy was born on March 26, 1957, in Springfield, Missouri, to Bobby Gene and Vera Marie (Hall) Fugate. She was raised in Urbana, Missouri, where she attended school and graduated from Skyline High School in 1975.
On June 20, 1980, Kathy was united in marriage to Ron Dauber in Arkansas City, Kansas. The couple made their home in Winfield before relocating to Oxford in 1990. In 2000, they returned to Winfield, where Kathy spent the remainder of her life. She worked for many years at the Kansas State Hospital and Training Center. Following its closure, she was employed by Creative Community Living and later served as a paraeducator with USD 465 in Winfield.
Kathy had a generous heart and a deep love for helping others. She never met a stranger and her home was always open to those in need. She was known as momma Dauber to many and her nurturing spirit and love touched every life she encountered. She enjoyed cheering on KU basketball, but her greatest joy in life was her grandchildren, who meant the world to her.
She is survived by her loving husband, Ron Dauber of Winfield; her daughters, Sara Dauber of Derby and Becky Dauber and her husband, Josh, of Derby; her sisters, Anita Hemmerling and her husband, Norman, of Lawson, Missouri, and Susan Essary and her husband, Joe, of Branson, Missouri; her grandchildren, Kaden and Kyler Horton, Bryley Davis, Braelyn and Braesyn Williams, Joshua and Lauren Horton, and Addalyn and Cale Phillips; and her great-grandson, Kash Jeremy Horton.
She was preceded in death by her parents, Bobby Gene and Vera Marie Fugate; her brother, Charles Fugate; and her daughter, Lynn Phillips.
Memorial services will be held at 2:00 p.m. on Friday, January 9, 2026, at Miles Funeral Service. Private interment will take place at Highland Cemetery at a later date. In true Kathy fashion, the family requested those in attendance to wear Jayhawk apparel.
A memorial has been established in Kathy’s name to benefit USD 465 Special Education. Contributions may be made through the funeral home.
