Mrs. Katarina (Kathy) Dufner (nee Sever), 72, died Wednesday evening, December 20, 2017, at her home in Burr Ridge, Illinois after a year-long struggle with cancer. Her husband, Ernest (Ernie) Dufner, was at her side.

Kathy was born on February 12, 1945 in Ljubljana, Yugoslavia, in present-day Slovenia. In 1952, she, along with her mother and siblings, fled communist Yugoslavia to join her father in Cleveland, Ohio. Kathy spent her childhood and young adulthood in Cleveland and married Ernie in 1967 at Saint Vitus Church. A devoted mother and wife, she raised her four children in Grant, Michigan where the Dufners lived from 1980 to 1994. Kathy and Ernie then lived in Bakersfield, California for 22 years before relocating to Illinois to be near their family in 2016.

Throughout Kathy’s life, she fondly remembered her lasting friendships built in Michigan, California and Illinois. Her Catholic faith was also a source of strength and comfort. She and Ernie were active members of the congregations of Saint Bartholomew Church in Newago, Michigan; Saint Philip’s Church in Bakersfield, California; Saint Julie in San Jose, California, and Saint Cletus in La Grange, Illinois.

Kathy is survived by her husband, Ernest Dufner; their four children, Sonya Dufner, Andrea Priest, Gregory Dufner, and Matthew Dufner; her brother, Janez Sever; sisters, Kristine Resman and Maria Bucar; four grandchildren, Lauren, Noah, Zachary, and Nathan; and many nieces and nephews. She is preceded in death by her parents, Frank and Katarina Sever, and her brothers Frank Sever, Jr. and Andrej Sever.

Funeral Mass at 10 AM on Thursday, December 28, 2017 at St. Cletus Church, 600 W. 55th St., LaGrange. Interment will follow at Queen of Heaven Cemetery in Hillside, Illinois. Her family finds comfort in your memories of her. In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to the Wellness House in Hinsdale, Illinois, wellnesshouse.org

Funeral info: 708-352-6500