Kathleen (Kay) Kraber Lund, 89

Kay left this earth peacefully on May 13, 2020.

She began her journey on Oct. 10, 1930.

Born to Dorothy and Earl Kraber in Great Falls, her destiny was the piano. At 6 years old, she started piano lessons with Helen Dickson in Great Falls until she packed her steamer trunk and took the Great Northern Railway to New York to study at The Juilliard School, where she earned a degree in piano performance.

Kay married Richard (Dick) Lund in 1953. Shortly thereafter they moved to Denver. Kay spent years teaching privately and on staff at Colorado Women’s College, University of Colorado and Rocky Ridge Music Center. She was actively involved with the Denver Symphony.

In the 1960’s Kay was a member of The Denver Trio. She played with Robert Rosenthal, violin, and Mykolas Saulius, cello.

In 1978, Kay, Dick and their two children, Jennifer and Peter, moved to Whitefish.

They bought the Whitefish Floral and Greenhouses. Kay was fond of flowers, but her true love was the piano and teaching. She was a founding member of the Whitefish Chamber Players and active in The Flathead Festival. In 2013, she received The Music Teachers National Association Foundation Fellow Award for her contribution to excellence in music education. Many of the state’s piano music teachers benefited greatly from Kay’s guidance as a master teacher.

Kay and her dear friend and colleague, Robert Hager of Columbia Falls, were great performing musicians. Their two piano performances were known throughout the state of Montana.

Her son Peter said, “Everything Mom could do with the piano was not only beautiful, but it was the magic of her fingers on ebony and ivory keys. It was a perfect union that became one soul. How blessed we are to have had her music!”

Kay is survived by her two children, Jennifer Higby of Columbia Falls and Peter Lund of Whitefish; cousins Ed Gage of Salem, Oregon; Fritz Kraber of Austin, Texas; Kenria Scheopp of Columbia, Montana; and many dear friends.

No services are planned at this time.