Catherine “Katey” Novak had a series of “Kateyisms” that the clients of Maple Grove’s Burnboot Camp became familiar with. According to friends and family, the word “must do, if possible,” was used by Jim’s chief trainer Novak to motivate the students in his class, but it’s the rest of her life. It was also a motto.
“She was always about helping people,” recalled her mother, Beth Novak. If Katie Novak could provide advice, encouragement, and support to someone, she did.
Katy Novak in St. Louis Park died suddenly on January 18th. Her family suspects that her heart stopped while she was taking a nap. She was 31 years old. His son Nolan and his co-parent Chris Kuu Kaa recently tested positive for COVID-19, while Katie Novak was vaccinated negative.
“It was an absolute shock,” said her father, Barry Novak. Since Katie Novak’s death, her parents have spoken to dozens of people influenced by her positive energy, both from Jim and the wider community.
“We didn’t fully understand her influence until her death, but we were given this bittersweet gift to understand the side of the daughter we only had a glimpse of,” Barry Novak said. Said.
A few days after her death, Katie Novak’s colleagues, clients, and family gathered at the gym to share their memories. They talked about how she always greets people with a cheerful “Hey, hey!” And he was an expert who encouraged people to push themselves and stay motivated.
One woman talked about when Novak came to her after class and returned to the gym to welcome her after a period when she was too depressed to attend. The depressed and struggling woman confided to Novak, met her gaze and said, “I’ve been there too. I’ll do it together.” She kept her promise and the woman told Novak’s parents that her daughter saved her life.
Beth Novak said that since childhood, her daughter often contacted others immediately and invited neighbors and passers-by in the house to treat her.
“She really believed that everyone had potential,” Beth Novak said.
Tina Hegna, the owner of the gym where Katie Novak worked, said that even if the pandemic changed the gym’s protocol shortly after Novak was adopted, Novak’s first phone interview would convey conviction and positive energy without shaking. Said that. Hegna said Novak had planned to start working immediately as a lead trainer at three gyms throughout the metro area.
“She was a very nice leader,” Hegna said. “I really thought we were going to work together for 20 years.”
Still, Hegna and Novak’s parents found peace in the fact that she found her passion and purpose at such a young age.
“It’s a tragedy that she died very young, but it would have been an even bigger tragedy if she had passed before finding a meaningful crossroads of her passion and energy in places she loved so much. “Barry Novak said.
Burnboot camps across the country honor Katy Novak at a training event in her memory.
In addition to her parents and son, Novak has also survived by her brother, Joseph Novak, in Salt Lake City, Utah. The service was held.
