Kate Kyewa Herzog

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.

Tributes

Kate Kyewa Herzog

May 8, 1966 - October 16, 2021

Tributes

Kate Kyewa Herzog

May 8, 1966 - October 16, 2021

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