Kind and selfless: Family mourns woman who stopped to help after Kellogg accident
Kaitlyn Greenman was a selfless, devoted Christian who loved caring and putting other people’s needs before her own, her uncle told The Eagle.
“There’s a reason why this city is hurting for her loss. She was a kind, sweet, selfless individual. There wasn’t a single mean bone in her body. She was an example to all of us of what a professing Christian is,” Josh Greenman said of his niece.
That selfless attitude showed on Saturday around 2 a.m. when she saw a rollover accident happen in front of her on eastbound Kellogg.
Kaitlyn stopped, got out of her car and helped the people in the crash. While assisting, she was struck by a motorcyclist heading east on Kellogg and was injured. She died from her injuries Monday afternoon. The motorcyclist who struck her, 38-year-old Justin Cunningham of Andover, died at the scene of the crash.
A student at Wichita State, Kaitlyn was pursuing a degree in health care. She worked at Larksfield Place retirement home.
“Caring for the elderly was something that she held dear to her heart. She didn’t talk a big game about serving and being kind to others ... she just did it quietly, and that’s why I think the impact is so heavy for some people,” Greenman says.
Besides her studies and work, Kaitlyn loved playing volleyball. She played for Trinity Academy up until the end of her junior year. She took classes at WSU Tech her senior year and played on a club team.
“Her and her sister, Olivia, played competitive volleyball. It was a huge hobby for her, and she still participated in young adult recreational leagues,” Greenman said.
Kaitlyn was on her way home from playing volleyball with her friends the night she stopped on Kellogg to help the people involved in the rollover crash, Greenman said in a phone interview.
“They had just got done playing volleyball at some recreational league and were wrapping up the evening. I think she had some friends with her, but they got off on prior exits, and they didn’t know what had happened until later the next day. ... I just think about those kids and the pain they’re feeling,” Greenman said.
Greenman, who last saw his niece at her sister’s graduation last week, said he will forever cherish his final moments with her.
“With all these graduations, parties and everyone’s busy lives, there are times where you tell yourself ‘oh I can’t make it, or that I’m too busy and have too much going on,’ and I’m so thankful that never occurred in this situation, because then we wouldn’t have been able to see her that one last time.”
Greenman said his younger brother, Phil, Kaitlyn’s father, is his best friend. The two brothers’ families often spent time together, and Greenman formed a close bond with his niece. Greenman said his brother had asked him to speak on behalf of the family, which also includes Kaitlyn’s mother Kim, sister Olivia and brother Parker.
“Watching our kids grow up, Kaitlyn was the oldest, and I’m the oldest between my brother and I, so we kind of had a kinship because people always thought her little sister was older than her. That was my situation growing up as well, and it always frustrated me.
“I saw that she was going through the same thing, and one day I pulled her aside and said, ‘It’s okay. It’s gonna pay off when you get older and look younger, you know?’ ... We just always kind of had that little bond.”
This story was originally published May 18, 2022 at 2:36 PM.