Kathy The Original
vBy Aimee Huntley
“I think my life has always been
so God driven, because I just end
up in places. It’s not a plan, I didn’t
come out and announce, this is what
I’m going to do! I just knew, I was
always going to help people.”
Kathy Harens is a dynamo.
One of those rare people that can do
absolutely anything and be wildly
successful. A literal Jill of all trades.
Kathy has worked steadily since she
was a teenager and has had a wide
variety of career experiences. These
ranged from working for the Pierre
County Courthouse and Assistant
Director of Equalization, to the
front manager at Rexall Drug store
in Yankton. She transformed from
a favorite, licensed, in-home child
care provider of eleven years, to the
director of the childcare at Mount
Marty College, for an astounding
twenty one years more.
She first began working with
children at the Helen Buchanan
School, while a freshman in high
school. Kathy worked as a special education assistant, and created
bonds so strong with the staff that they hosted her engagement shower
there. She continued to volunteer her time there as a member of the
Future Teachers Association for four years afterwards and “absolutely
loved it”. She has always retained a deep affection for special education
from this foundation. While gaining invaluable experience there,
Kathy knew that being a teacher wasn’t her ultimate calling though.
Kathy says she’s an open book, and I can vouch that her book of
life memories has volumes. In
all of her stories, Kathy’s husband
Paul, is a consistent, iron thread
that runs throughout. They met
in Huron and married when she
was nineteen, and he was twenty
one. They had dated for a year
and Paul had just graduated from
college. Kathy chuckles as she
states, “That was forty five years
ago, and we’re still here, hanging
around together.” She recalls them
making six changes of residence
in six years. “We were professional
moving people. We lived like
gypsies, it was an adventure!
Kathy and her husband “were
blessed to have 5 years BC – life
before children”, while living in
Pierre. “Paul had his first teaching
job, and they had five years to
grow up. It was a lot of fun, we met
lots of really interesting people.”
Kathy often received better job
offers in the course of her current
employment. She is naturally a
people person and always really
enjoyed wherever she worked.
Others who met her couldn’t help but be impressed by her enthusiasm
and special spark. They would get to know her and say, “You should
come work for me”, and she usually did.
After the birth of their first son, Michael, Paul got offered a job in
Vermillion working for USD with the opportunity to get his Masters
in teaching. They jumped on the opportunity and sold their house
in one day. They lived temporarily in a trailer for ten months. It was
a bit of a trial because the Harens didn’t know that there was no air
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4vHERVOICEvNOVEMBER/DECEMBER 2018
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Gregory A Kouri, O.D.
Optometrist
Medical Eye Care