The Wilbraham-Hampden Times did a nice article about Kathy and my fundraiser. We are now at 80% of the initial goal! Thanks to everyone.
Remembering Kathy Lehndorff
Fundraiser ongoing to exhibit artist’s work
By Tyler S. Witkop, Turley Publications Staff Writer
HAMPDEN – A lifelong artist, Kathy Lehndorff had the creative touch. Now her husband and caregiver Peter is borrowing a stroke of her genius to create a lasting legacy of her work.
“I want to have two exhibits,” he explained, “one in this area, and one at the UConn Health Center.” From paintings to collages and imaginative sculptures, her works adorn the walls and space of their Hampden home. Some of her work is on display in the offices of MassMutual. Peter said that the exhibits would serve as a “celebration of life” for his wife of 38 years. Kathy had been living with the noticeable signs of Huntington’s disease for the last 15 years. When symptoms became too much for her to balance with her artwork, she helped Peter with their graphic design business, first doing illustrations for ads, and then taking care of the bookkeeping and administrative work.
With Peter by her side, on Oct. 14, she passed away from complications of the genetic disease. For many, with the death of a loved one follows a funeral, burial, and memorial services. The Lehndorff’s are different. Peter explained that he hadn’t planned for such services. The couple planned to donate her brain to the Harvard Brain Tissue Resource Center, commonly referred to as the “Brain Bank,” through Harvard University. Her body would be donated to the University of Massachusetts Medical School for educational purposes. As an affiliated school with the center, UMass would remove the brain and transport it to Harvard at no cost.
Sometimes, even the best of plans unravel at the seams.
Kathy passed at approximately 3 p.m. after Peter wet her tongue with her favorite Chardonnay and played her favorite film, “Gone With The Wind.” Being present and of a sound state of mind, the hospice nurse made the phone call to UMass in order to arrange for transport. He then heard seven words he never expected: “You have got to be kidding me!”
Undergoing renovations to the medical center, UMass informed her that they were unable to accept a body. UMass referred them to Harvard Medical School, which Peter thought would be the easiest solution. He said when they called Harvard Medical School, Harvard informed they could only accept the whole body and would not deliver the brain, citing policy. Calls to the Brain Tissue Resource Center confirmed that UMass was the only facility that would handle the body the way he wanted. Abandoning his original plans, Peter decided to donate his wife’s body to the Harvard Medical School. That decision still left him with a dilemma: how to get Kathy’s body across the state. Harvard wouldn’t pick up her body and he couldn’t transport her in his own vehicle.
Facing no other options, Peter had to call a funeral home.
He explained when he looked up the numbers of local funeral homes, his mind wasn’t at its most rational state. “I probably should have done more research,” he said. He only called one, which he will not name publicly, but noted that his decision was made largely because it was local and didn’t seem too elaborate. Because he was only having the body transported, he said the thought never occurred to discuss or negotiate the expense. The home confirmed that it receives a $600 stipend for body donations and said they would work with him on the cost should the expense go over that amount. When he received the bill, with a credit of $600, he was dismayed to see he owed nearly $4,000. Even with the help of his lawyer, he said they would only discount the fee to publish her obituary and that he still owed over $3,000.
Out of options and having already found a support network online through a blog he created documenting their experiences, Peter turned to the Internet and the kindness of strangers for help. Using the crowdfunding site generosity.com, a subsidiary of Indiegogo focused on raising money for personal and social causes, he set out to help cover the unexpected costs from the funeral home. Extra monies would help make his vision to celebrate her life through her art a reality. As the Times goes to press, through minimal publicity on his personal Facebook page, donors pledged over $1,900. “I probably set the goal too low,” Peter commented, noting that when he published his fundraiser he set his goal at $3,000.
He explained that the UConn exhibit would primarily serve as a fundraiser for the Huntington’s Disease Program of its Health Center in Farmington, Connecticut. He would need to ship the artwork, which would require a rental truck to handle the transportation to and from the facility. The local exhibit he said would likely take place at a venue like the Hampden or Wilbraham libraries or the Bing Arts Center. With her passing so recent, he noted that either event would likely take place in January or February at the earliest, assuming any associated costs could be covered.
When asked how he would like his wife to be remembered, Peter said: “She was imaginative and creative … She smiled … She loved Basset hounds … She was supportive of people … She was a good sport and would try almost anything … Most importantly, she was creative and kind.” Aside from her art and design work, Kathy was involved with the rescue of Basset hounds, like the couple’s attention-seeker, Marty. To contribute to the fundraiser, visit www.generosity.com/memorial-fundraising/remembering-kathy-lehndorff.
