Kathleen Sonju

Kathleen Sonju had a stroke on November 27 and passed on December 5. Kathleen was born to Thelma and Melvin Kunick on December 2, 1946 in Colby, Wisconsin. She is survived by three brothers – Douglas (Peggy) Kunick, John (Leni) Kunick, James Ann) Kunick and her husband, Ronald Sonju.

Kathy graduated from the University of Wisconsin Stout in 1970 with a degree in Early Child Development. She married Ronald Sonju in June, 1972 and they moved to the state of Illinois. She taught special education classes in local high schools in the suburbs of Schaumburg and Hoffman Estates for several years.

They moved to California in 1984 where Ronald became a technical trainer at Ford Aerospace and Kathy joined Lynnbrook High School where she taught special education students. She enjoyed working with special needs students, helping them achieve their goals in life. She was with Lynnbrook for 21 years where she made many friends, both with other teachers and her students who appreciated her dedication to their education.

Unfortunately, Kathy had a severe stroke on July 6, 2006 and was rushed to the ER. After she was stabilized, she went through a long and difficult rehabilitation period. After the rehabilitation was over, she was still paralyzed on her left side and had issues with short term memory loss.

She went home and tried to make the best of her situation. Unfortunately, during the next 12 years she had surgeries almost every other year, such as removing a growth from her thyroid and shocking her heart in sinus rhythm. Her last medical emergency was breast cancer which she recovered due to early detection.

She had been bedridden the last three years of her life and it was difficult for her. Despite all of her medical issues she tried to maintain a positive outlook on life. She always had good memories of her years at Lynnbrook with her teacher friends and her students. It is sad to see her go but now she is in a better place.