Kathy June Langenstein Berlin

“When pain is over, the remembrance of it often becomes a pleasure.” — Jane Austen 

1. Kathy June (Langenstein) Berlin 
2. August 14, 1949 – September 21, 2025 

Kathy June (Langenstein) Berlin, 76, of Reserve, Louisiana, passed away on September 21, 2025, following a short illness. 

Kathy was born on August 14, 1949, in New Orleans, Louisiana, to June (Hancock) Langenstein and Karl Monroe Langenstein. She graduated from F.T. Nicholls High School and later attended Delgado Community College, where she earned her Associate’s degree in 1985. She was inducted into Phi Theta Kappa and went on to receive her Bachelor’s degree in Accounting from Loyola University, graduating on December 31, 1989. 

One of Kathy’s proudest accomplishments was her military service. She enlisted in the U.S. Army on September 24, 1974, and was stationed at Fort Polk. She transferred to the Louisiana National Guard in January 1976, was promoted to Warrant Officer 1 in 1983, and served with distinction, earning several commendations for her service. Kathy ultimately achieved the rank of Chief Warrant Officer 2 (CW2) in 1987—a rare accomplishment for a woman at the time. 

Kathy went on to build a successful career as a CPA, but later found a way to merge her love of writing with her professional expertise by authoring accounting textbooks. 

Anyone who knew Kathy knew how much she loved her pride and joy—Nazgul, her Mustang. She adored her manual transmission muscle car: the roar of the engine, the feel of the road, and the approving nods and conversations with fellow Mustang enthusiasts in parking lots. Driving wasn’t just a way to get somewhere for her—it was joy, freedom, and peace. She often said that just cruising down the road, feeling the strength of the Mustang and the wind in her hair, was heaven. 

But Kathy's main passion was reading. A voracious reader with more than 3,000 books on her beloved Kindles (of which she had four!) in addition to her physical books, Kathy especially adored Jane Austen and J.R.R. Tolkien. She read everything those authors wrote many times over. She also enjoyed writing fan fiction and was active in several online communities, where her work was well-received and often praised. It was her absolute happy place, a feeling she shared with her grandchildren. They treasure the memory of going to the bookstore, buying a book for everyone, going to eat, and proceeding to ignore each other as they engaged in parallel reading. 

It was those grandchildren, however, who were the true light in her eyes. Kathy was known as "KayKay" to them, and all have special memories of time with her—the aforementioned parallel reading, deep conversations about Mustangs, watching The Hobbit with her, sushi dates, long phone conversations while commuting home. KayKay showed up at every sports game she could, and followed everything they did from afar. They were obviously the most brilliant and most accomplished grandchildren ever! 

Kathy is survived by her daughters, Tasha Renee (Simoneaux) Duffourc and Cahdi (Simoneaux) Jones; her sister, Diane Langenstein Hall; her brother, Larry Langenstein; and her five grandchildren: Allison Dukes, Ryan Dukes, Devin Ulrich, Jordan Cecilia Jones, and Cameron Katherine Teresa Jones. She was preceded in death by her parents, Karl and June Langenstein. 

A private family remembrance will be held at a later date. 

In lieu of flowers, the family invites you to make a donation to a charity of your choice—and perhaps take time to read Pride and Prejudice or The Lord of the Rings in her honor. 

"End? No, the journey doesn't end here. Death is just another path, one that we all must take. The grey rain-curtain of this world rolls back, and all turns to silver glass, and then you see it: white shores, and beyond, a far green country under a swift sunrise." — J.R.R. Tolkien