Cleta Woods Lorenz of Kansas City, Missouri, a retired nurse adored by friends and family, died at the age of 64 on December 25, 2018.
Cleta is preceded in death by her father, Cletus Woods of Clinton, Missouri, her brother, Robert Woods, her husband, Charles “Chuck” Lorenz, and her granddaughter, Jane Rose Weber.
She is survived by her mother, Roma Woods, her two sisters, Dixie Wirsig and Lisa Carl, and her daughters, sons-in-law, and grandchildren: Courtney Lorenz Gatzoulis and her husband, Steve, of Mission, Kansas; Clarissa Lorenz Swan and her husband, Robert, and son, Braxton, of Los Angeles, California; and Catherine Lorenz Weber and her husband, Derek, daughter, Mary Grace, and son, Luke, of Parkville, Missouri.
Cleta, the eldest of four siblings, was born in Clinton on November 13, 1954. She was a confident, adventurous child who delighted in leading her siblings on hikes through the fields and woods near their home. In her youth, Cleta also dedicated herself to a relationship with Jesus Christ that brought her strength and comfort throughout her life. “My life is not my own,” she told friends and family in her later years. “It is His.”
She met Chuck, her beloved husband, in Sedalia, Missouri in 1978. The two married on December 24, 1978 and remained sweethearts until his death in January 2009. They moved to Blue Springs, Missouri in 1980. In Blue Springs, they raised three daughters and became integral members of the community through their work at St. Mary’s Medical Center and their service to St. Peter United Methodist Church.
Cleta served as a Registered Nurse at St. Mary’s Medical Center in Blue Springs, Lake Regional Hospital in Osage Beach, and Saint Luke’s Hospice in Kansas City earning many accolades throughout her career. She was a lifelong learner, and during the last few years of her career achieved a Master of Science degree in Health Care Ethics from Creighton University. Patients and colleagues revered her compassion for patients and their families as well as her good humor and her uncanny way of connecting with anyone.
In addition to her work in health care, she was a true nature lover whose most gratifying job was caring for any living thing that came into her orbit. She looked after many pets, including birds, dogs, cats and racoons. Flowers, shrubs, trees, or vegetables on the end-of-season discount rack found homes and flourished with Cleta. She kept regular tabs on the foxes, coyotes, turkeys, and deer in her neighborhood. One momma raccoon, in particular, became like a member of her extended family. Every spring, Cleta gave friends and family regular updates about the newest litter of kits. At the holidays, Cleta’s family knew to line up at the backdoor after meals to share leftovers with their mother’s adopted raccoons.
Cleta was often the outspoken ringleader of family adventures. On Christmas mornings, she dressed as Mrs. Claus and marched through the house ringing a bell to wake her daughters. Saturday mornings her girls might find her in spandex and leg warmers ready to lead a family exercise routine. Her ebullience was balanced by her husband Chuck’s more measured nature. He enjoyed playing the elf beside his Mrs. Claus. In the kitchen, Chuck was a precise baker, while Cleta improvised and experimented. They reveled in one another’s company, and built a marriage and family characterized by fun, devotion, and love.
The legacy of Cleta and Chuck’s union lives on in the families of their daughters. Cleta remained a daily presence in their lives right up until her passing. Quite simply, she and her daughters, Courtney, Clarissa, and Catherine, were best friends. Holidays, vacations, any free moment was either spent together or spent planning when to be together next. She spoke with all three of them throughout the day every single day. Conversations almost always ended with her saying, “I have to let you go. Your sister is calling.”
In recent years, that devotion to family extended to her sons-in-law and grandchildren. With her grandchildren in particular, she had a way of communicating that no one else possessed. “Mom knew what they were saying when no one else did,” her daughters say.
Compassion defined Cleta Lorenz. Whether it was a house of worship, a patient’s hospital room, her granddaughter’s bedroom, or her own kitchen, Cleta brightened any space. Her laughter was infectious, her heart expansive. Even in moments of sorrow and grief, she brought to her patients, to her friends, and to her family a deep reserve of hopefulness and assurance rooted in her Christian beliefs and the boundless joy with which she lived her life.
Funeral services will be held Sunday, December 30th at 2pm at the Grace and Holy Trinity Cathedral. The church is located at 415 W. 13th Street in Kansas City, Missouri.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Cleta’s honor to Saint Luke’s Hospice House (https://www.saintlukesgiving.org/tributes), select Saint Luke's Hospice House in the drop down to designate your donation or the Center for Practical Bioethics (https://practicalbioethics.org/support-our-…/make-a-donation).
