Katrina L. (Pyne) Brown

Katrina L. Brown, age 49, of Kalamazoo, passed away on January 14, 2023. She was born September 26, 1973, in Kalamazoo, the daughter of Robert and Sandra (Bontekoe) Pyne.

Katrina was a 1991 graduate of Vicksburg High School; she earned her Bachelor of Science degree from Western Michigan University in 1995 and her Master of Arts degree in reading from the same school (Masters plus 30). Since 1996, Katrina had been a devoted first grade teacher with Baker Elementary School in the Wayland School District. In the last two years, she became a Title I reading coach with the school district and traveled between the schools to work with kids. Katrina impacted the lives of hundreds of children and cultivated a great love for reading among her students. Her sons and her work with the schools were her greatest passions. Family was her center, and she always made sure that holidays, birthdays, and random occasions were celebrated together. She would laugh so easily, and her laughter was infectious. Katrina radiated love, generosity, loyalty, and compassion. She had many close friendships including her best friend, Lisa, that filled her heart with tremendous joy. She embraced being fit and active and loved to run, bike, walk, paddle board, kayak, snowshoe and play pickle ball. Katrina was adventurous and enjoyed camping and traveling with her kids and friends. She adored her family dog, Maizie, and often took her with them on those adventures. When she met Jason in the summer of 2021, her smile grew even brighter.  She cherished their time together, especially the trips they took to Mackinaw and Fort Meyers. The last four years, she had hosted exchange students; she delighted in having daughters and learning about their cultures. She was diligently teaching herself to speak Spanish and made many wonderful memories traveling with her sons to Barcelona, Madrid and Paris in June of 2022. The beach was truly her place of peace and contentment.

Her family includes her sons: Gibson and Brennan; her father, Robert Pyne; her sisters and brothers: Erika (Robert) Garcia, Robert (Stassi) Pyne, Richard (Emily) Pyne, and Sharon Biesenthal; her nieces and nephews: Colten and Taylor Pyne, Audri and Ivan Pyne, and Brittney Carter and John Surin; her boyfriend, Jason Wolfe; her exchange student daughters: Ronja Hanns, Jandira Diedrich, Ana Martinez, and Carmen Nacarino; and several cousins, aunts, uncles, extended family, friends and teaching family.

She was preceded in death by her daughter, Ally Brown, and her mother, Sandra Pyne.

Friends may gather with Katrina's family on Saturday, January 28th, 2023, at the Wayland Union High School Fine Arts Center, 850 E. Superior Street, Wayland, MI 49348, where a memorial service will be held at 4:00 PM followed by a time of gathering until 7:00 PM.

Donations in honor of Katrina's love and passion for literacy can be made to the Wayland Union Education Foundation. Donations can be mailed to Wayland Union Education Foundation, PO Box 192 – Wayland, Michigan 49348-0192 or made online at www.waylandfoundation.org .

Donations in honor of Katrina's passion for Autism programming can be made to the Otsego Public Schools foundation to support Autism Spectrum Disorder (ASD) programming for students with ASD.  Checks can be made payable to Otsego Public Schools Foundation or online donations through PayPal can be made at the foundation's website: https://www.opsfoundation.org/

Please visit Katrina’s personalized online guestbook at www.langelands.com