Katherine Kitty Slark

Katherine "Kitty" Slark (Kisielius), aged 92, died December 9, 2018 at The Arbors of Bedford. Her life was defined by faith, love, and family.

Kitty was born on June 22, 1926 in Vilkaviskis, Lithuania. She was the youngest child of Kazimieras and Sofila (Raulanaitis) Kisielius. As a clever and athletic youngster she did well in school and loved sports, especially ice skating in the winter and tennis in the summer. She would reminisce fondly of skating along a canal that ran through the town. She was raised Catholic and spent every Sunday and holiday at the church at the center of town. She was particularly close to her father and sister, Mary.

Following high school, Kitty had hoped to study midwifery, but sadly those plans were made impossible by the events of World War II. The Soviet army was advancing towards the west and occupying eastern European countries. Kitty's parents faced an impossible decision: stay and hope to collaborate with the Soviets, who were rumored to be committing atrocities against the eastern Europeans, or flee westward and take their chances with the Nazis. They decided to escape to western Europe. Years later Kitty admitted that she didn't think they'd be gone long. As a teenager she assumed that they would hide for a few days and wait for the Soviet troops to pass through, and then return home. It would be 60 years before she would see Lithuania again.

Her sister Mary had already married and left home, and Kitty's brother Kazimieras had left home to join the war effort. So Kitty and her parents prepared to leave. She grabbed her few treasures for the journey: her ice skates, her tennis racket, and her sister's guitar. The family had the clothes on their backs and a few supplies. They traveled on foot, over 400 miles, to the German border. Kitty rarely spoke about this time except to say that she was often afraid. She would pretend to be very sick whenever the family encountered soldiers, as conditions were unsafe for young women. The family starved, occasionally able to find a charitable farmer or church to give them food. Otherwise they foraged and once they stole oats from horses in a stable to have something to eat.

After their long journey Kitty and her parents joined other refugees in a settlement in Celle, Germany. Once the war was officially over, Allied forces assumed management of the settlement and it became a Displaced Persons camp. The camp is where Kitty met Sidney "Jimmy" Slark, a British solider working in transportation. She didn't speak English and he didn't speak Lithuanian, but they both spoke a little French and German and fell in love. They were married on January 11, 1947 in the camp. Her wedding dress was made of the silk from a parachute.

During the war Kitty's family lost contact with her brother. He was never heard from again and to this day it is unknown what happened to him.

Following the war Kitty settled in Shepperton, England with her new husband. She set about learning English and learning to be a wife. The next year their daughter, Maria, was born. The family struggled as it was difficult to find work and appropriate housing. Kitty was thrilled to be a mother, however, and a few years later they welcomed their son, Sidney. Realizing that it would be difficult to find opportunities in Jimmy's hometown, they decided to immigrate to America. They packed up their few belongings and moved their young family to New Hampshire.

Life was not easy for immigrants. Kitty often spoke about how self-conscious she felt about her command of English and her eastern European accent. A couple of years later their second daughter, Virginia, was born.

She found work in the mills along the Merrimack River in Manchester. She made friends with other women in the mills, who helped her with English (teaching her a few choice swear words), and who would pass along recipes and other cultural advice to help her acclimate to America. Kitty worked very hard to help provide for her family. Eventually, she and Jimmy were able to buy a house, and years later Kitty bought her beloved Mustang. They were able to travel a bit. Kitty loved visiting her sister Mary, who had settled in upstate New York with her family. When the two sisters were together they would laugh and trade stories in Lithuanian, thick as thieves.

When grandchildren came along Kitty volunteered to take care of the eldest two full-time, as her employer had closed around that time and she was retired. She was a phenomenal grandmother. She once said that she wished she could have been a better parent to her own children, but she had to focus on earning to keep a roof over their heads, food on the table, and clothes on their backs. With her grandchildren, she was the engaged and attentive parent she wished she could have been to her own babies. She would travel near and far to support her grandkids in all their concerts, track meets, soccer games, and lacrosse games. Her family was her life.

In 2007, Kitty returned to Lithuania with Jimmy, their daughter Maria, and their granddaughter Brittany. She was a tourist in her homeland, but some things were still familiar even so many years later. She returned to Vilkaviskis and was able to see the town center, with the canal running through it and her high school still standing, now being used as the town library. The Soviets bulldozed her beloved church, but a new church was built in its place. She learned about what happened to Lithuanians who stayed during the 50 years of Soviet occupation. People lived in constant fear and thousands were transported to Siberia to die in work camps. She toured museums about the occupation and the resistance, scanning photos to see if she could find her brother.

Throughout the 71 years of their marriage, Jimmy and Kitty enjoyed time with family and friends, socializing, going to parties, and especially dancing. They were known to close a dance floor. In warm weather Kitty could often be found in her pool, or in her garden growing lots of vegetables. She adored the Welsh singer Tom Jones and together, Jimmy and Kitty attended many of his concerts.

Kitty was predeceased by her parents; sister, Mary Matulis; and two nephews, Charles Matulis and John Matulis. Sadly, Jimmy passed away on August 31, 2018 after a brief illness.

Kitty is survived by her children and their spouses: Maria Ashton, Sidney Slark (Susan), and Virginia Larkin (David); grandchildren Brittany Larkin (Seth Davenport), Christopher Slark, Cullen Larkin, and Jeffrey Slark, one nephew, Michael Matulis, and many grand-nieces and grand-nephews.

She overcame great obstacles to be an inspiration to all who knew her. May she rest in peace.