Fish Creek Artist Kathy Glasnap Dies at Age 66

Glasnap was renowned for her paintings of Door County’s natural environment.

Well-known Door County artist and gallery owner Kathryn “Kathy” M. Glasnap, 66, passed away Aug. 28, 2015 at Door County Memorial Hospital. She was born in Appleton, Wisconsin, the daughter of the late Carl and Marcie Glasnap.

Appleton native Kathy Glasnap owned a popular gallery in Fish Creek.

Kathy began drawing and painting at an early age and after her graduation from Xavier High School, launched a successful career as a full-time painter of watercolors and acrylics. She attended many art shows, selling her paintings all around the United States. On weekends with more than one show, Kathy’s friends would help with the displays.

“As an artist, she was wonderful,” said longtime friend Barb Mueller, who met Kathy in 1971 through Mueller’s late husband, Richard. “As a friend, you couldn’t ask for a better person to be a friend. She cared for you. She cared about what you were doing, how you were feeling, where you were going; she just cared about you.”

In 1995, Kathy moved to Door County and opened The Kathy Glasnap Gallery in Fish Creek, where she thoroughly enjoyed the opportunity to meet new people and make lasting friends. During that time, Kathy worked on commissions for The National Wildlife Federation, The Humane Society, Father Nature Cards and Artistic Greetings, all of which included “Fred” the Cardinal.

Kathy leaves a legion of friends, employees and collectors who will miss her greatly. She was preceded in death by her parents, relatives and friends.

Barb Norene, who considered Kathy her “adopted daughter,” spoke highly of a friend who cared deeply for others and was “always planning a party.”

Glasnap was renowned for her paintings of Door County’s natural environment.

“I thought that she was one of the nicest, kindest people that I ever knew. She cared about everybody. She always wanted to greet everybody who came into the gallery and she would talk with them, ask them where they were from, who they were, and then of course she always asked them where they were going to eat,” Norene laughed. “She gave a lot of local restaurants a lot of business by giving her recommendations. She loved to have people get together and have a nice time and visit with each other.”

Because Kathy always loved time spent with friends visiting over a meal, it was her wish that a memorial buffet luncheon be held. The luncheon will be on Thursday, Sept. 10 from 11:30 am to 3 pm at Alexander’s Restaurant in Fish Creek.

In lieu of flowers, please make a memorial donation to a Door County charity of your choice.

“She gave to every organization, every fundraiser, every whatever that asked,” Mueller said. “It’s going to be a huge loss. She supported the arts, she supported the organizations, she supported everybody up here. She’s going to be missed.”

Glasnap’s work portrayed many of the peninsula’s iconic images.

Family and friends extend their appreciation to Dr. Hogan and Dr. Rebhan for their care over the years and to the Door County Memorial Hospital, especially the ICU for their compassion and great care. Kathy appreciated the kindnesses she received from the staff at Golden Living Center-Dorchester and Anna’s Healthcare over the last 11 months and the special help she received from the Physical and Occupational Therapy staff.

One of Kathy’s thoughts about her hereafter was, “I will finally have my own personal chef.”

“I think she’s going to be remembered as a very friendly person who loved meeting and talking with people all the time,” said friend Sue Anderson. “She was also certainly an accomplished artist. People kept coming back year after year not only to see her new work but to visit with her, so that was a big part of her social life.”