10/29/2021
With heavy hearts, we share that Kate Kyewa Herzog - our beloved wife, mother, sister, daughter,
friend, and brilliant light of humanity – has passed away, after a long struggle with breast cancer. Kate’s
warmth and directness drew people to her, and in her presence people felt seen and heard. Kate’s true
appreciation for people was a gift.
Kate was born and raised in Accra, Ghana, West Africa, and attended Wesley Girls’ High School and the
University of Ghana Legon, where she earned a degree in Economics. She met her husband Phil when he
was a Peace Corp volunteer and she was the librarian in the town of Mpraeso. When Phil went to
explore the two shelves of books in the small library room, Kate asked for the Newsweek he was
carrying, and thus a friendship was born. They married in Chippewa Falls, WI in 1997 and settled in the
Twin Cities. Here, Kate raised three sons, who were forever a source of pride and joy for her. After
completing her MBA at the University of St Thomas she found her calling through starting House of
Talents, a company dedicated to “alleviating poverty by connecting artisans from developing countries
with consumer markets worldwide.” She worked especially with Ghanaian women artisans, who crafted
beautiful baskets, jewelry, and other home goods which Kate sold locally and across the US, ensuring the
artisans were always paid a fair price. She curated an astonishing array of products which she often
helped design. These she marketed directly through chain stores, small open-air markets, and her
showroom in the Traffic Zone Center for Visual Art in downtown Minneapolis.
Kate is survived by her husband Phil, her three sons, Kwame Peter, Kojo Bernard Isaiah, and Kwame
Matthew, her mother Kate Lucy Owusu, and her siblings, Gloria Owusu, Genevieve Owusu, Sammy, and
Eva Owusu, her granddaughter Skylar Ama, and cherished nieces and nephews. Every year Kate
organized and invited the entire extended family to week-long summer gatherings at Airbnb vacation
homes to eat, laugh, and have fun together. In this way, she cultivated close relationships between
siblings, cousins, in-laws – the entire clan!
Her passing leaves a huge hole in the hearts of her family and an extended community of craftswomen,
artisans, fellow entrepreneurs, customers, colleagues, and legions of friends. She is preceded in death
by her father, Lawson Mensah Owusu.
The service will be held Saturday October 30, 12:00 p.m. at Presbyterian Church of the Way, 3382
Lexington Ave. N. in Shoreview. This service will be live streamed at https://www.youtube.com/channel/UCgd3b6zgJ1jK1DNdOYJlg3g
In lieu of flowers, donations can be
made to the family at the Kate Herzog Family Memorial fund via gofundme at https://www.gofundme.com/f/kate-herzog-family-memorial-fund Arrangements are by
Holcomb-Henry-Boom-Purcell Funeral Homes.
