Kathleen S. Ludwig

Of Buffalo, passed away on Easter Sunday, April 20, 2025, after a short ailment. Loved by family and friends from her many endeavors, she will be greatly missed by those she leaves behind. As a long-time member of the Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo, a docent at the Theodore Roosevelt Inaugural National Historic Site, an enthusiastic student in the Niagara Frontier Watercolor Society, a frequent guest to live broadcasts of The Metropolitan Opera, exhibitions at The Burchfield Penny and The AKG Museums, Kathleen encountered friends wherever she went.

Kathleen Martha Schoening was born in Council Bluffs, Iowa, to Milton and Harriet Schoening. She and her sister Ruth Elaine grew up on a family farm outside town. She attended a one-room schoolhouse through 8th grade as one of only two students in her class.

She graduated from Immanuel Hospital School of Nursing in 1961, and immediately joined the Peace Corps, becoming part of only the second cohort to travel to Chile and work in rural public health. In 1964, Kathleen moved to Buffalo, New York, where she married Robert Ludwig, a newly minted professor of mathematics at Buffalo State College. They settled in North Buffalo, where they raised their family and became active community members. After joining the UU Church of Buffalo, Kathleen helped found a “mother’s seminar,” a group of women who still meet monthly, over 50 years later.

Kathleen was a trailblazer in her field. With a passion for public health, she earned a Master’s degree in Education from UB as a Nurse Practitioner in 1989, specializing in rehab medicine. Among her career highlights was administering the Adult Day Health Care program at Schofield Residence. She retired from Erie County Medical Center’s Rehab Medicine Department in 1998. She kept her nursing license for several years afterwards and continued practicing part-time in public health.

Kathleen was passionate about beauty in the world, which showed in her love for art, nature, adventure, the written word, and lifelong learning. She was a watercolorist, an opera buff, a world traveler, and a voracious reader. She restored antique furniture and wrote her memoir. She inspired many people around her with her love for life and her determination to overcome numerous health challenges in later life.

She is survived by sister Ruth Elaine of Littleton, CO; children, Colleen Ludwig of Detroit, MI, Eric Ludwig of Longmont, CO, their spouses, Bruce Charlesworth and Julie West, respectively; and grandchildren Vivian Charlesworth, Ethyn Ludwig and Katrina West.

Kathleen is preceded in death by husband Robert Ludwig (1990) and subsequent partner Garnet Norton (2000).

Celebration of Life:

All are welcome to attend Kathleen’s Celebration of Life to be held Sunday June 8th at 3pm Unitarian Universalist Church of Buffalo

695 Elmwood Ave, Buffalo, NY 14222

716-885-2136

Final Resting Place

Forest Lawn Cemetery

1411 Delaware Ave

Buffalo, NY 14209