Kathy was born on February 24, 1949, in Sterling, the daughter of Leo and Iona Mae (Howard) Wilson. She graduated from Rock Falls High School and Sauk Valley Community College. She married her high school sweetheart, Gail Jellerichs, on March 28, 1970, in Sterling. The two met at RFHS. Kathy was in the office attending an Honor Society meeting; Gail was in trouble with the principal.
Survivors include her daughter, Jennifer (Jessie Quimby) Jellerichs of Rock Falls; her son, Bradley Gail (Adrian Solis) Jellerichs of Renton, Washington; five sisters, Jeanette Pierce, Trudy (Randy) Gallentine, Linda (Dan) Ryan, Glenda (Michael) Gibson, and Kim (Matt) Smith; one brother, Jody (Cena) Wilson; one grandson, Jaydon Jellerichs; and many nieces and nephews.
Kathy was preceded in death by her parents; her stepmother Norma; her husband; two sisters, Marilyn and Naomi; and four brothers, Donnie, Jimmy, Leo Jr., and Marc.
Kathy was a registered nurse for 35 years. She worked at East Coloma School, Whiteside County Health Department, and in multiple roles at CGH, including surgical floor, 62-NURSE, and community health.
Kathy’s family was the center of her life. Like many 1980s mothers, she had ambitions for her children, enrolling them in piano lessons and French tutoring. She sewed Halloween costumes from the big pattern books at the fabric store and baked elaborate birthday cakes. Her walls were covered with 1990s wallpaper and sponge paint, her kitchen held Snackwell cookies and butter substitute, and her living room was full of oak curio cabinets crowded with figurines and furniture nobody was allowed to sit on.
The women in Kathy’s life were especially important to her. After losing her mother to cancer in 1955, she grew up surrounded by BELOVED older sisters (Jeni, Trudy, and Linda) and younger sisters (Glenda and Kim). Her teenage poem sums up their enduring support: “I Have So Many Sisters, I Declare, one of them’s always getting in my hair. But it’s kind of nice to have so many, for I’d be lonely if there weren’t any.” Other important women in Kathy’s life include daughter Jennifer, who did much of the caregiving in the later years and never complained, and best friends Mary Jean Derreberry, Marcia Fields, Julie Conley, and Phyliss Dublo.
Although Kathy was happiest close to home, she went along with Gail’s annual minivan road trips to exotic locales like Eagle River, San Francisco, and Huntsville, AL. She even arranged an Oval Office visit with cousin President Ronald Reagan in 1988.
Cremation rites will be accorded. A gathering of all friends and family will be held at 10:00 AM on Saturday, October 3, 2026, at Harvest Time Bible Church in Rock Falls. A memorial service will follow at 12:00 PM, officiated by Reverend Dalmus Meeks and Pastor Aaron Meeks.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to CGH Health Foundation.
