Kirsten Langfield obituary
Kirsten Kitchin Langfield, 61, of Lake City passed away peacefully from metastatic breast cancer on July 28 at her home surrounded by her husband and daughters.
Kirsten (Kirsty) Kitchin was born on January 22, 1965 in Lancaster, United Kingdom to Jack and Esme Kitchin (nee Mattocks). She grew up in the seaside village of Arnside and developed a love for the outdoors through her parents, specifically hiking and biking England’s Lake District and Scotland’s West Coast. As a teenager, she furthered her adventurous spirit by bicycling through Germany with a friend and doing various volunteer projects. Additional Eurorail trips with childhood friends across Europe supported her desire for travel and adventure.
It was this spirit for travel that brought her to a youth hostel in Stamsund Norway, where she met her future husband, Greg. After a few years in a long-distance relationship, she moved to Roseville, Minnesota to continue her education at the University of Minnesota. They were married on February 10, 1996, at Emmanuel Lutheran Church in Hudson, Wisconsin. They made their home in rural New Richmond, Wisconsin until they moved to Lake City in 2000 with their young daughter Katherine, where their second daughter, Emily, was born in 2001. The beautiful Mississippi River valley with surrounding bluffs reminded Kirsty of her childhood home. God blessed them with over 30 years of marriage, with 26 years in Lake City.
Kirsty became a redeemed child of God through adult baptism at Emmauel Lutheran Church of Hudson, Wisconsin. Her faith in her Savior Jesus Christ became the foundation for serving God through singing in the church choir and teaching Sunday School. She was an active member of St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake City. The confidence that she would be in heaven with Jesus provided comfort during her cancer journey and last days.
Kirsty had a lifelong desire to help people. This manifested itself through a passion and love for science that started with her education. She went to the University of Sheffield and graduated with a BSc. Honors degree in Biochemistry. She furthered her education with a Master of Science degree in Microbial Engineering from the University of Minnesota. She started her career at Glaxo Cline Smith of London as a senior research biologist and continued to work in research at life science companies throughout her career. She retired from Mayo Clinic in 2024 after 22 years in medical research. Throughout her career she supported numerous patents, papers and presentations. Yet her greatest career achievements were the personal and supportive relationships she had with her coworkers.
Her Christian faith was reflected in how she cared for friends and family. She was someone that always had the other’s interest in mind above her own. She was generous with her time and gifts. Her main hobbies included reading, gardening and hiking, and of course rooting for her beloved Liverpool Football Club in the Premier League.
Kirsty is survived by her husband, Greg and daughters, Katherine of Lake City, Emily of Minneapolis; mother Esme Kitchin of Arnside, UK; sister-in-law Barb (Jim) McGlennen of Eden Prairie; brother-in-law Doug Langfield of Eagan; nephew Matthew (Marianka) McGlennen of New York, New York; niece Kristine (Sam) McGlennan of Seattle, Washington; aunts and cousins.
Kirsty was preceded in death by her father, Jack Kitchin; father-in-law Irving Langfield and mother-in-law Lorraine Langfield.
A Memorial Service will be held Saturday, August 15th at 11 AM at St. John’s Lutheran Church in Lake City with Pastor Tom Schroeder officiating. Visitation will be Friday from 4 to 7 at the Mahn Family Funeral Home Anderson-Peterson Chapel Lake City and also one hour before the service at the church. Kirsten’s Service will be Live Streamed and can be viewed on her obituary page on the Mahn Family Funeral Home website. www.mahnfamilyfuneralhome.com. Memorials are preferred to Adult Choir - St. John's Lutheran Church - Lake City, The Nature Conservancy, or Triple Negative Breast Cancer Foundation.