Father Kevin Trautner
The Reverend Kevin C. Trautner was so proud of being Irish, he didn’t like being called Father Trautner because it wasn’t an Irish name. “Call me Kevin,” he would say. Years ago, his Irish mother told him that she had named him for Kevin Barry, a Dublin medical student who became one of the early martyrs to the cause of Irish independence in 1920.
So it is excruciatingly ironic that Father Kevin, 57, pastor of St. Francis of Assisi Parish in Norristown and, for 30 years, chaplain of the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association of Philadelphia, will be laid to rest on St. Patrick’s Day, Saturday, March 17, 2007, after a funeral mass conducted by Philadelphia Cardinal Justin Rigali at Father Kevin’s parish church at 600 Hamilton Street.
“Last week he called me every day to go over details of the parade,” parade director Michael Bradley said Friday. “He gave me a big hug on Sunday night and told me I did a good job. And today, I’m carrying his coffin into church.”
Father Kevin, who was a jogger, died of a massive heart attack while in Valley Forge Park on Tuesday.
“He was a great guy, a great priest, and a lot of fun to be around,” said Bradley. “He loved being our chaplain. He used to say, ‘The only way to get rid of me is to put me over at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery. Every once in a while someone would say, ‘That can be arranged,’ and he would laugh. You could tease him and he would really laugh.”
Like about his cats. He had three and treated them like family. “During the Mass when he became pastor of St. Francis, he had them all in the front row in a box,” recalled Bradley. “I said, ‘I guess you couldn’t have had one in one row, and another in another row. You didn’t want to slight one so you put them all together up front.’ He made a face, then burst out laughing.”
He took being the shepherd of the St. Francis of Assisi parish seriously. Every year he held a blessing of animals at the church. In 2005, he led a parish-wide project to collect pet food and pet supplies for the Montgomery County SPCA and was able to deliver a van full to the facility in Norristown in memory of his late cat, Bridget, and in honor of St. Francis, patron saint of animals. When the rectory caught fire a few years ago, Father Kevin expressed his gratitude to the Norristown Fire Department, where he also served as chaplain, not just for saving the building, but for saving his cat.
“He was a very gentle, sincere man,” says Kathy McGee Burns, second vice president of the St. Patrick’s Day Observance Association. “He was very affectionate. You felt that when he saw you he really liked you. He was just glad to see you. It’s a great loss to us.”
He also loved the kids of his parish. “He was really proud of those kids,” says Bradley.
“Wherever the children gathered, Father Trautner was there. He loved
his kids and was so proud of all that they did,” says a note on the parish website, where you can view a slide show of Father Kevin with his young parishioners.
On Friday morning, the guest book at www.philly.com was filling not only with condolences but with memories of a compassionate priest who always had time for whoever needed him. He would bring communion to the dying, comfort to the grieving, and even made time to bless sick pets. The entries also reveal a fun-loving man who loved his summers at the shore and dancing to the oldies.
“Father Kevin, When you were around, everyone was happy,” reads one from a member of the Friendly Sons of St. Patrick. “We will miss your thoughtfulness, jubilant expressions and willingness for a good time.”
Said another: “I miss Father Kevin so much already… my heart is truly saddened. I first met Father about five years ago at the Lighthouse Point on a Thursday night listening to the Geator… He truly amazed me when I found out he was a priest… and dancing priest no less! One immediately sensed his warmth, kindness, loving way and what a sweet smile… We quickly became friends and I couldn’t wait till summer time came around so we could hang out, laugh, twist (he liked the twist) and just talk… How I will miss him so…”
Father Kevin was also the chaplain of the Norristown Police Department, Ancient Order of Hibernians of Norristown-Notre Dame Division, and the LAM Valley Forge Council of the Sons of Italy. He was affiliated with the Yacht Club of Stone Harbor, NJ, where he had a summer home. Son of the late Christopher R. and Eileen M. O’Donnell Trautner, he is survived by his brother, Eugene K. Trautner and his wife, Judith.
A parishioners’ mass will be said tonight, March 16, at the church. A funeral mass will be conducted by Cardinal Rigali on Saturday at 11 a.m. at St. Francis of Assisi, where friends can call from 9-10:30 a.m. Internment will follow at Sts. Peter and Paul Cemetery. Contributions can be made in Father Kevin’s memory to St. Charles Borromeo Seminary, 100 East Wynnewood Road, Wynnewood PA, 19096 or St. Francis of Assisi Church.