Katherine Lois Miller Fiedler left us on March 19, 2017. Katy as she was often called, was born on July 1, 1928 in Harlingen, Texas. She grew up in the Rio Grande Valley during the Great Depression. Always an animal lover, she worked numerous babysitting jobs, in addition to working at her dad's hotel, to be able to afford her first horse at the young age of 15. Many other animals would later follow through the years, including much loved cats and dogs. She graduated from High School at just 16 and bravely traveled on her own to North Dakota where she secured employment on a dude ranch, working summers there for several years. She once saved an orphaned calf by convincing a brood mare horse to adopt it. "Texas Kate," as her friends in North Dakota fondly nicknamed her, also worked on a dude ranch in Bandera and later as a cook at Smitty's Cafe and for the Brown family on their dairy farm. She loved rodeos and horseback riding. Katy was a real cowgirl!

In April 1956, she became a rancher's wife when she married Herbert Fiedler, Jr., and moved to the "spread" known as the Fiedler Brother's Ranch that he co-owned with his brother, Leander "Landy" Fiedler, in La Salle County, east of Cotulla. They raised eight children in the tough South Texas Brush Country. Katy was an excellent cook, frequently springing new "concoctions" on her family. She was also an avid gardener with a "green thumb" that few could match. She was a member of Sacred Heart Catholic Church and a former member of the St. Anne's Society as well as the Cotulla Garden Club. Katy's friendly and one-of-a-kind personality will be greatly missed by many.

Katy is survived by her children and their spouses: Paula Fiedler, Herbert Fiedler, III, Harold Fiedler, Fred Fiedler, Cynthia Fiedler Chan and husband Leo Chan, Anne Fiedler and Martha Fiedler McLeod and her husband Scott McLeod. She is also survived by her two granddaughters Katrina McLeod and Lydia Chan, her brother Frank Miller, as well as many friends and extended family members across Texas.
She is preceded in death by her parents, Oscar and Lydia Miller, her brother, Herbert Miller, her husband, Herbert Fiedler, Jr. and their daughter Cecelia Fiedler Ramirez.

In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made to Austin Dog Alliance, 1321 W. New Hope Drive, Cedar Park, TX. 78613, who provided pet therapy to our mother while she was in the skilled nursing/rehab facility (or donations can be made to the animal/pet charity of your choice).