Her early years were spent in Carmine; which meant long hours outdoors with her parents, grandparents, and friends. She learned about nature, and how to work hard and get a little dirty in the process. She attended Sunday School, Junior Lutherans, and Bible School, and had the distinct honor of being the mascot for Round Top-Carmine Girls Basketball Teams.

The family moved in 1970 to Sheridan, Texas, but returned every summer to the area. Kim spent those summers with her grandparents: William and Lucille Watson Neese, and Delvin and Wilma Goeble Wunderlich. She learned to plant a garden, put up a fence, pluck a chicken, and draw water from a well. Most of all, she built her independent, fearless, and loving spirit.

Kim never met a stranger. She had a magnetism about her, paired with contagious determination. She may not have been the best at something, but she would work harder than anyone to get it right. That strong work ethic and her athleticism led Kim to a successful academic and athletic career at Rice Consolidated High School (1983), Blinn College (1985), and Texas Lutheran College (1987). She received full scholarships for basketball to attend Blinn and Texas Lutheran. She then attended Texas Tech in Lubbock, TX to study Physical Therapy.

Degree in hand and on her own, she jumped in her car and drove to Minnesota. After six years as a Physical Therapist there, she decided to move to warmer weather; landing in Phoenix, Arizona. Kim took a job at Concentra Physical Therapy and began building relationships with friends that have lasted a lifetime. Here, her dreams of starting a family came true. She met her husband William Lewis and they had two amazing children: Nicole Rae and William Trey. Their neighborhood had a true sense of community, where families assisted each other and gathered for celebrations. She spent these years simultaneously working, supporting her kid’s ambitions, and making a house a home. Kim became a loved and loving member of her surrounding community, volunteering to do art class at her kid’s school, helping neighbors out in crises’, just being herself. She cherished nature with her family, spending time in the mountains skiing, hiking, and once again- getting a little dirty.

Kim was diagnosed with cancer in July of 2021. In true Kim fashion, she outlived the 8-to-12-month prognosis by almost 3 years. Cancer became a part of her life, but it did not define her. Despite the effects of various treatments, she didn’t cease to climb mountains with her kids in Colorado, visit family in Texas, catch a good concert, fly to a wedding, make a high school reunion, or meet her girlfriends for brunch. She was always doing life her way, making plans for others even up to the end on Sunday, June 9, 2024.

Besides her parents, and immediate family, she will be dearly missed by her brother and sister-in-law, Jon and Beverly Wunderlich, her aunts, uncles, cousins, nieces and the many, many friends she touched along her journey of life.

The funeral service was at 10 a.m. Saturday, June 15, 2024 at Martin Luther Lutheran Church in Carmine. Burial will follow in Carmine Cemetery. Visitation with the family began at 9 a.m. and went until service time.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to Memorial Oaks Chapel, 1306 West Main St., Brenham. To post a tribute to the family, please visit www.memorialoakschapel. com.