Mary Kate Caballero's Obituary
Caballero, Mary Kate
a devoted wife, mother, sister, abuela, cousin, and educator, passed away peacefully on March 16, 2026, at the age of 83. Born on September 30, 1942, in Oak Park, Illinois, the city of Chicago always held a special place in her heart. After graduating from Loyola University, Kate moved to Tampa, Florida, and spent her life there, where she built a home defined by love, steadiness, generosity, and an extraordinary capacity to care for others.
Kate was an educator by both profession and instinct. She received her Master's at the University of South Florida where she met her husband Michael. She taught at St. Lawrence Catholic School and the Academy of the Holy Names. Reflecting her belief in service to others, she was deeply involved at Incarnation Catholic School and Jesuit High School through the Mothers Club, where she served as President.
The heart of her family, she believed that having ten children, God displayed how you don't divide love, but multiply it. That belief, and her Catholic faith that inspired such devotion, shaped the life she built and the family she raised.
Her home reflected who she was: full of Christ's love, art, beauty, and a certain joyful chaos. She set records for the sheer quantity of food prepared, meals shared, school lunches packed, and games attended. She lived by the spirit of "the more the merrier," feeding not just her family, but anyone who walked through her door, making each person feel welcomed and cared for.
She shared 58 extraordinary years of complete love with her husband, Michael, inspiring all who had the privilege to witness it. She was preceded in death by her parents, Joseph and Rosemary; and her brothers, Matthew and James Campfield; her daughter-in-law, Jennifer; and granddaughter, Elizabeth.
Kate is survived by her beloved husband, Michael; her sister, Anne; and her children, Joseph (Claudine), Michael (Kathryn), Louis (Anne), Thomas (Dilia), John, Matthew (Lilian), Rosemary (Gus Francis), Anne (Colin Eckman), Kate (Ryan Horanburg), and Elizabeth (David DiLuciano). She was a cherished grandmother to 28 grandchildren and one great-grandchild, finding her greatest fulfillment in the large, loving, and generous family she built, nurtured, and sustained as its matriarch.
Kate's life was defined by strength, generosity, and a boundless capacity to love. Her presence will be profoundly missed, but the life she created and the family she shaped will endure as her lasting legacy and eternal gift to God's world.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to any of the following:
St. Jude Children's Research Hospital, Jesuit High School, or Incarnation Catholic School.
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