The funeral arrangements for Kate Spade have been announced. The Mass is set for 3 p.m. local time on Thursday, June 21, at Our Lady of Perpetual Help Redemptorist Catholic Church in her hometown of Kansas City, Missouri, according to the fashion designer’s obituary in The Kansas City Star.
The service will be held at the same church where Spade’s grandparents were married. Her father, Frank Brosnahan, told the newspaper, “I imagine there will be a crowd.”
In lieu of flowers, the family has requested donations to the American Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals (ASPCA) or Wayside Waifs, which is the largest no-kill animal shelter in the City of Fountains.
The obituary described the businesswoman as a “phenomenally loving, giving, humble, warm and affectionate woman who tragically left this world far too soon.” It notes that she will be remembered by family and friends for her generosity, loyalty, sense of humor and “quick and infectious laugh.”
Spade died by suicide in her New York City apartment on June 5. A housekeeper found she had hanged herself with a red scarf attached to a doorknob. She was 55.
“We are all devastated by today’s tragedy,” her family said in a statement at the time. “We loved Kate dearly and will miss her terribly. We would ask that our privacy be respected as we grieve during this very difficult time.”
The fashion icon’s estranged husband and business partner, Andy Spade, later revealed that she had battled depression and anxiety for years. The couple shared a 13-year-old daughter, Frances Beatrix.
“Kate was the most beautiful woman in the world. She was the kindest person I’ve ever known and my best friend for 35 years,” Andy, 55, said in a statement to The New York Times on June 6. “My daughter and I are devastated by her loss, and can’t even begin to fathom life without her. We are deeply heartbroken and miss her already. … We were in touch with her the night before [her death] and she sounded happy. There was no indication and no warning that she would do this. It was a complete shock.”
If you or someone you know is in emotional distress or considering suicide, call the National Suicide Prevention Lifeline at 1-800-273-TALK (8255).
