Kathy Pittman

Kathleen "Kathy" Pittman, passed away peacefully on September 2, 2026, after achieving her "gold medal" in the cancer Olympics, a testament to her incredible resilience, courage, and unwavering faith. She was surrounded by the love of her family and Jesus throughout her life and especially during her final days.Mass of Christian Burial will be held 10:00 A.M. on Saturday, September 5, 2026 at St. Hildegard Catholic Church in Menoken. Private family burial will take place in the Menoken Cemetery.

Visitation will be held from 6:00 - 7:00 P.M., Friday, September 4, 2026 at Weigel Funeral Home, 309 4th Ave. NW, Mandan with a Rosary and Parish Vigil along with the sharing of memories beginning 7:00 P.M.

Kathy was born on June 14, 1948, in Underwood, North Dakota. She was one of 10 children born to Christ and Veronica (Wetsch) Freidt. After graduating high school she took off to South Carolina and brought home a husband who fell in love with her and North Dakota. Kathy and Louis were married on June 7, 1969. The couple moved to Mandan, raised three children while sharing 57 years of marriage.As a devoted wife and mother, Kathy found some of her greatest joys in raising her children, grandchildren, and spending time with her precious great-grandchildren and extended family. Her nurturing spirit extended far beyond her own family. She worked as a country school lunch lady and eventually became a kitchen manager for Mandan Public Schools and cared for her own aging parents in her home.

In 2003, Kathy was forced into early retirement following her first stage 4 metastatic cancer diagnosis. Rather than allowing cancer to define what remained of her life, Kathy decided it was time to go all in on living, and that is exactly what she did. She and Louis sold their home in Mandan, bought a lake cabin in Garrison, North Dakota, and began spending their winters in Arizona. They embraced this new chapter with enthusiasm, adventure, and gratitude, making memories and living life to the fullest. Over the next 23 years, she faced additional cancer diagnoses with incredible resilience, but she never let them steal her joy. Her faith in Jesus gave her strength through every challenge and reminded her that she was never facing them alone. Instead, she continued to embrace life, make memories, love deeply, and share her joy with everyone around her. Kathy had a remarkable ability to find the good in each day, to see God's blessings even in difficult times, and to remind those around her that life is meant to be lived, not simply endured.

Kathy enjoyed cooking, gardening, and caring for her plants and flowers. She lovingly kept some of the old German family recipes alive, including Schupfnudela and Kasenip, carrying on cherished traditions that had been passed down through generations. She genuinely loved nature and animals, having a particular passion for birds of all kinds. One of her favorite pastimes while wintering in Arizona was feeding birds and chipmunks right out of her hands. She loved being a dog grandma and was always happy to dogsit for her children and grandchildren. She also had a special miniature donkey friend named Corndog. She talked about Corndog with such affection that the stories continued right up until her final days.Her children fondly remember teasing her about her love of identifying and naming birds and growing flowers and cacti. Over time, however, they found themselves carrying on her legacy. The kids who once teased Mom about her endless bird and plant pictures eventually became the very people sending the family pictures of birds and blooms, because apparently, you can tease Mom for years and still end up becoming just like her.Kathy truly loved like Jesus-offering kindness, compassion, forgiveness, and love to everyone she met. She had a remarkable ability to connect with people. To Kathy, people mattered, and everyone she encountered had a place in her heart. She didn't need a reason to care for someone; caring was simply who she was. While wintering in Arizona, she became especially close to an older homeless man who lived in a campground near them. Even after he eventually moved into a nursing home, Kathy would send him letters, money and her homemade garlic toast, something he loved so much.

Kathy leaves behind a beautiful legacy of love through her husband, Louis and three children, son, Chris and Carol Pittman and their children, Caitlin (Jordan) Bitz, daughter Gemma, and Collin Pittman; son, Mike and Kim Pittman and their children, Courtney (Dylan) Knudson, children Kolter and Kynlee, Casey (Chris) Iszler, son Cash, and Carsen Pittman; and daughter, Kari and Dion Bitz and their children, Beau Bitz and Bailey Bitz.

She is also survived by her younger siblings who she was extremely close with, Patricia Barry, Chris Freidt, Tom Freidt, Betty Bleth, Donna Leingang, and Michelle Siegel, their spouses, and many nieces, nephews, and special cousins and so many precious friends. Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, Christ and Veronica Freidt; her older brothers, Chris Freidt Jr. who died as an infant and James Freidt, who valiantly served his country and was killed in Vietnam; her beloved older sister, Maria Koch; and a very special friend, Judy Fredericks.In lieu of flowers memorials are suggested to benefit Caring Edge Hospice of Bismarck.

Kathy showed those around her how to keep going when life was difficult, how to find joy in the little things, and how to embrace life wholeheartedly. She taught her family that a beautiful life isn't measured by how easy it is, but by how deeply we love and how fully we live like Jesus.

She will be deeply missed, lovingly remembered, and forever held in the hearts of all who were fortunate enough to know her. The family would like to especially recognize the amazing staff and care that was provided to Kathy by Caring Edge Hospice of Bismarck and Edgewood Memory Care of Mandan.