On Feb. 7, 2023, we lost a wife, mother, daughter, sister, aunt and friend. Kathleen “Kat” Kaut was born in Centralia, Washington on April 28, 1982, to Daniel and Debra Nygaard. She was the oldest of their two children. Kat grew up in Chehalis with her parents and sister, Jani.
She attended Adna, where she graduated as valedictorian of her class in 2000. Kat was extremely bright, artistic and athletic. She went on to play basketball on a full scholarship at Eastern Washington University. She had a very successful career while playing at EWU, breaking countless records. She was inducted into the EWU Athletics Hall of Fame in 2015.
After graduating from Eastern, she moved back to Lewis County where she met the love of her life, Chris Kaut. They married in August of 2007 and had three beautiful children: Hayden (14), Savannah (9) and Hudson (3). Kat’s pride and joy were their children and she loved teaching them and cheering them on. Chris and Kat enjoyed lots of family time. Her kids’ favorite memories are those of her playing basketball with them outside their Napavine home, helping with homework, nighttime movies and snuggling, singing in the car and getting Lotus drinks before every game. Her love of sports, crafting and athleticism was passed on to her kids.
Kat loved helping people. Every profession she worked accentuated this attribute, as well as her kind heart. From working at the police department, to Sharon Care and the Centralia College Trio Program, she found her calling as a teacher. Kat’s love for children expanded far beyond the kids in her home. She was a passionate educator, coach and beloved staff member. Kat taught multiple subject areas at Boistfort School District for four years. She began teaching science and math at Onalaska Middle School in August 2022, where she quickly became the favorite teacher of many students. She also invested her time in coaching basketball at the middle school and AAU levels before and after having kids of her own.
Kathleen is loved and greatly missed by her husband, their three children, her parents, sister, nephews and in-laws, as well as her aunts, uncles, cousins, extended families and countless friends. She was always kind and was loved by so many.
A celebration of life for Kathleen will take place at Centralia College at 2 p.m. on Saturday, March 11, 2023, in the TransAlta Commons. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to NHSSF for the K. Kaut Scholarship, Napavine High School Scholarship Foundation, P.O. Box 1151, Napavine, Washington, 98565.
Memories, stories and photos can be shared with her family via email at RememberingKathleen11@gmail.com.
