After two years of isolation on the island, Kate left with her children to visit her parents in Illinois and give birth to a new baby. Kate humorously recalled that the three must have looked peculiar when they got off the boat and walked down the streets of Ogden to board the train. Kate was wearing clothes that appeared old-fashioned, George was being followed by his pet pelican, and Blanche held a box of horned toads in her hands. Naturally, the family was viewed as a novelty throughout their journey and especially by their relatives in Illinois. Kate and the children happily returned to Fremont Island at the end of the summer.

By 1889 the Wenners' peaceful life on Fremont Island began to shatter. Judge Wenner's health was gradually deteriorating. When he became too weak to ride a horse, Kate's chores became burdensome. For two years, though, she took care of all the household duties, tended the livestock, taught her children, and nursed her husband. Despite her efforts, on September 16, 1891, Wenner died of a hemorrhage of the lungs. On the day of his death, the family dug a grave and carefully placed pebbles on the spot to spell "LOVE." Later, an iron fence was built around the grave and the pebbles secured in cement. The grave can still be seen on Fremont Island today.