DISCIPLE: Barthels Deliver on Kerry's Promise

This article appears in the Spring 2023 issue of the DISCIPLE Newsletter. If you are not receiving DISCIPLE in your mailbox, contact the parish office at 763-497-2745 to register as a parishioner or to update your address.

The unexpected passing of Kerry Barthel last October devastated his family and left a hole in our parish that is impossible to fill. Kerry’s ready smile was a familiar sight even to those who didn’t know him well—but his good humor, humility, and genuine love of others is what really drew people to him.

Not to mention his servant’s heart: Whatever was asked, he was there—especially if there was painting to be done. So when Father Brian Park shared the plan to beautify the worship space of St. Michael Catholic Church, Kerry was quick to step forward. 

“Painting was his vocation,” recalls his wife, Kathy Jo. “He figured that out a long time ago. Painting is what God called him to do, to provide for his family, to help others, and to serve the church and community.”

Kerry promised to donate his time and expertise to strip and paint the walls of the statuary apse and repaint the four wings where the Stations of the Cross are displayed. He also planned to paint the interior of the newly expanded Options for Women | Cornerstone, our local pro-life pregnancy center.

Even in their grief, his family kept these commitments in mind, asking for donations to Cornerstone in lieu of funeral flowers and promising donations to help cover the church painting.

Ultimately, they stepped up to do the church project themselves —and even added the choir apse to the mix. Kerry’s brother Tim took the lead, recruiting family members and employees from Kerry’s company, KJ’s Painting, to remove several inches of acoustic foam from the statuary walls, then scrape, clean, mask, and paint. They worked Saturdays, around their own schedules and that of the Conrad Schmitt crew doing the detailed artwork in the church.

Tim is not a painter by trade, but does have professional experience: He was Kerry’s first employee in college.
 
“The key people doing the painting are my brother Keith, our nephew Joe Eicher, and others who worked for Kerry, like Jack Dwinnell and Aivary Bouman,” says Tim. “Aivary has been instrumental.  She is a talented painter and has done a lot of the challenging ladder work. She doesn’t belong to our church, but knowing that this was important to Kerry, she volunteered to assist on her own time.”

Keith has been Kerry’s primary employee for more than 20 years, and his skill and experience were essential to the family’s efforts to deliver on Kerry’s commitment. Aivary has worked with KJ’s since 2020.

“I knew Kerry for many years before I started to work with him,” she says. “Even within the first few months, the painting crew felt more like family than coworkers. He and Keith felt like uncles to me almost immediately.”

“Kerry’s outlook on life was inspiring, and I strive to be as involved with the things I care about as he was. This project seemed like a perfect opportunity for me to feel closer to him and the things he cherished, and to help the community.”

“When people heard, they wanted to help,” Tim says. “For the first part—scraping the statuary apse—I recruited nieces and nephews. Some of the younger ones needed community service hours. There are 75 people my parents are responsible for, so I figured I could get some volunteers.”

His parents, Duane and Kathy, brought coffee to the workers on busy mornings, and family friends have stopped by to lend a hand as well.

“Our ties to the church go back to the beginning of St. Michael—this community is our center,” says Tim. “Kerry asked me a while back if I would help. I wasn’t expecting to take the lead, but I’m proud to do so. And I’m thankful for the support that Father and Dave Ferry have given to me, knowing that my primary job is not as a painter.”

“This family, for generations, has volunteered for the church to glorify God, and that’s what Kerry wanted to do,” says Kathy Jo. “He loved to paint, and we are so blessed to be here. It brings such comfort and peace to know people are praying for us—that’s how we’re getting through right now.”