Kimberly A. Curran, age 62, of Plant City, Florida, passed away on July 9, 2023. Kim was born in the suburbs of Detroit, Michigan on September 7, 1961, to Bert and Marie (Fromm) Curran. A visitation will be held Friday, August 11, 2023, from 4:00 to 7:00 PM at Sturm Funeral Home in Sleepy Eye, MN. A Funeral Mass will take place on Saturday, August 12 at St. Mary’s in Sleepy Eye, MN at 10:30 AM with Father Mark Steffl officiating. The service will be livestreamed at https://www.facebook.com/stmarysleepyeye. The interment will be at St. Mary’s Cemetery. A luncheon will be served at St. Mary’s after the burial. Sturm Funeral Home is assisting the family with arrangements. Online condolences may be left for the family at www.sturmfh.com.
Kim made friends easily, as evident at her upcoming “Celebration of Life” gathering in Florida, where over 100 friends are expected to attend. She made friends with those she worked with at IBM. She was friends with her relatives. She was friends with many of the parents from her daughter Jade’s sporting events. And she made many new friends over the years, from Zumba classes to neighbors to strangers she would meet.
Kim was nearly the age of her older brother Kevin, who was close to her from the beginning, even though he tormented her when they were young. They began life in sibling rivalry. Kevin used to think he could do things better than her, but it usually turned out that she outshined him.
Kim was fairly independent – she was her own person often doing her own thing. As the oldest, Kevin followed all of the rules. And younger brother Todd was carefree. But Kim had a mind of her own and she sometimes challenged authority. She occasionally ran away from home when she did not get her way. She would spend the night at a friend’s place and be back at home the next morning. Her parents were rarely worried. And Kim rarely got her way. All was forgiven as Kim entered college and matured. She loved her parents her entire life, as they did her, but it became more apparent after her teenage years.
Todd was close to Kim as a brother and as a friend. He moved in with her when Kim was diagnosed with cancer. He took care of Kim and entertained her daughter, and his niece, Jade over the last few years.
Kim joined IBM after school and became a successful manager. The employees who reported to her saw her as much as a friend and as a manager. She brought the best out of others.
Kim’s life changed dramatically when Jade was born. From that moment on, her life was immersed in everything Jade did. Kim unselfishly gave all of her time to Jade, right up to the end. Her calendar was always full of upcoming events for Jade: cheerleading, basketball, swimming, bowling, powerlifting, tournaments, and Special Olympics. Kim sincerely enjoyed watching Jade doing even mundane things such as endless practices for the events. It was never a burden, night after night.
Kim was an excellent parent to Jade. Jade was never treated as an exception. Kim never got angry or raised her voice but, through love and patience, she influenced and guided Jade, making her the amazing girl she is today. Jade is always the life of the party.
Kim and Jade were inseparable. Jade was Kim’s life. Kim was Jade’s life. Jade now looks forward to being with Kim and her dogs Roscoe and Benson in heaven, but not before she enjoys the rest of her life.
With family and friends, those close to Kim will eventually come to accept her passing and continue to live their lives as Kim would want them to. But they will never forget their sister and mother and friend and the impact she had on so many others.