Kate Herzog Family Memorial Fund
Donation protected
With heavy hearts, we share that Kate Kyewa Herzog - our beloved
wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and brilliant light of humanity –
has passed away, after a long struggle with breast cancer. Kate’s
warmth and directness drew people to her, and in her presence people
felt seen and heard. Kate’s true appreciation for people was a gift.
Kate was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, and attended
Wesley Girls’ High School and the University of Ghana Legon, where
she earned a degree in Economics. She met her husband Phil when he
was a Peace Corp volunteer and she was the librarian in the town of
Mpraeso. When Phil went to explore the two shelves of books in the
small library room, Kate asked for the Newsweek he was carrying, and
thus a friendship was born. They married in Chippewa Falls, WI in
1997 and settled in the Twin Cities. Here, Kate raised three sons, who
were forever a source of pride and joy for her. After completing her
MBA at the University of St Thomas she found her calling through
starting House of Talents, a company dedicated to “alleviating poverty
by connecting artisans from developing countries with consumer
markets worldwide.” She worked especially with Ghanaian women
artisans, who crafted beautiful baskets, jewelry, and other home goods
which Kate sold locally and across the US, ensuring the artisans were
always paid a fair price. She curated an astonishing array of products
which she often helped design. These she marketed directly through
chain stores, small open-air markets, and her showroom in the
Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art in downtown Minneapolis.
Kate is survived by her husband Phil, her three sons, Kwame Peter,
Kojo Bernard Isaiah, and Kwame Matthew, her mother Kate Lucy
Owusu, and her siblings, Gloria Owusu, Genevieve Owusu, Sammy,
and Eva Owusu, her granddaughter Skylar Ama, and cherished nieces
and nephews. Every year Kate organized and invited the entire
extended family to week-long summer gatherings at Airbnb vacation
homes to eat, laugh, and have fun together. In this way, she cultivated
close relationships between siblings, cousins, in-laws – the entire clan!
Her passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of her family and an
extended community of craftswomen, artisans, fellow entrepreneurs,
customers, colleagues, and legions of friends. She is preceded in death
by her father, Lawson Mensah Owusu.
The service will be held Saturday October 30, 12:00 p.m. at
Presbyterian Church of the Way, 3382 Lexington Ave. N. in
Shoreview. This service will be live streamed. In lieu of flowers,
donations can be made to the family at the Kate Herzog Family
Memorial fund via gofundme.
wife, mother, sister, daughter, friend, and brilliant light of humanity –
has passed away, after a long struggle with breast cancer. Kate’s
warmth and directness drew people to her, and in her presence people
felt seen and heard. Kate’s true appreciation for people was a gift.
Kate was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, and attended
Wesley Girls’ High School and the University of Ghana Legon, where
she earned a degree in Economics. She met her husband Phil when he
was a Peace Corp volunteer and she was the librarian in the town of
Mpraeso. When Phil went to explore the two shelves of books in the
small library room, Kate asked for the Newsweek he was carrying, and
thus a friendship was born. They married in Chippewa Falls, WI in
1997 and settled in the Twin Cities. Here, Kate raised three sons, who
were forever a source of pride and joy for her. After completing her
MBA at the University of St Thomas she found her calling through
starting House of Talents, a company dedicated to “alleviating poverty
by connecting artisans from developing countries with consumer
markets worldwide.” She worked especially with Ghanaian women
artisans, who crafted beautiful baskets, jewelry, and other home goods
which Kate sold locally and across the US, ensuring the artisans were
always paid a fair price. She curated an astonishing array of products
which she often helped design. These she marketed directly through
chain stores, small open-air markets, and her showroom in the
Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art in downtown Minneapolis.
Kate is survived by her husband Phil, her three sons, Kwame Peter,
Kojo Bernard Isaiah, and Kwame Matthew, her mother Kate Lucy
Owusu, and her siblings, Gloria Owusu, Genevieve Owusu, Sammy,
and Eva Owusu, her granddaughter Skylar Ama, and cherished nieces
and nephews. Every year Kate organized and invited the entire
extended family to week-long summer gatherings at Airbnb vacation
homes to eat, laugh, and have fun together. In this way, she cultivated
close relationships between siblings, cousins, in-laws – the entire clan!
Her passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of her family and an
extended community of craftswomen, artisans, fellow entrepreneurs,
customers, colleagues, and legions of friends. She is preceded in death
by her father, Lawson Mensah Owusu.
The service will be held Saturday October 30, 12:00 p.m. at
Presbyterian Church of the Way, 3382 Lexington Ave. N. in
Shoreview. This service will be live streamed. In lieu of flowers,
donations can be made to the family at the Kate Herzog Family
Memorial fund via gofundme.
Fundraising team (3)
Mary Racciatti
Organizer
Minneapolis, MN
Phil Herzog
Beneficiary
Jennifer Kowskie
Team member
Josephine Offori
Team member
