Kathleen "Katie" Ann Prough

A celebration of life will be held on Saturday, November 8, 2025, at 2pm at the Runge Mortuary and Crematory. A visitation will be held two hours prior to service time. Memorials may be made to the family. Online condolences may be made at www.rungemortuary.com.

Katie was born May 19, 1981, in Iowa City, Iowa to parents Warren Lee Day and Valerie Ann Ellis (Bradshaw). She grew up in Princeton, Iowa and attended North Scott High School from 1996-1998 before relocating to AZ. Katie graduated from Apache Trail High School at the age of 16 in 1998. She followed this by attending courses at Scott Community College and Kaplan College. Katie lived in many places throughout her life but spent most of her time residing in the Quad Cities IA/IL area. She moved to the Flora-Bama area in May of 2022.

She lived a life full of deep feeling, creativity, and quiet strength. Her life reminds us of the importance of compassion, both for ourselves and one another.

Though misunderstood for most of her life, she made many friends with her humor, charm, empathy, and elegance.

Katie sometimes worked multiple jobs to provide for her children. She would be “the community mom” to those she knew needed a mother, and would give the shirt off of her back to help any of them.

Katie was employed in many different jobs but she loved the service industry and chose this over all others. She had a very strong work ethic and was frequently offered management positions shortly after being hired. She took pride in helping the homeless and those recovering from drugs and alcohol; thus, she became a certified specialist to do so in both Missouri and Alabama.

Katie enjoyed camping, traveling, being near the beach, shopping, holiday festivities and spending time with her family, especially her grandchildren. Katie took great pride in her clothes, hair and nails, and frequented salons. Katie also appreciated giving and receiving presents. During her final days, Katie could be found tending to her patio garden.

Katie grew up in the name of God, worshipped, and shared her testimony throughout her life. She carried her Bible with her through all of her travels and regularly devoted time for prayer. She found it comforting to attend church and would recite The Serenity Prayer daily. Katie took on sponsorship roles, especially for women, within her home church.

Katie had the desire to complete tasks on her own and would always be proud of herself for doing so. She never wanted to be a burden on anyone and only wanted the love she gave to be reciprocated.

She had a love for Zebra Cakes, Reese’s Peanut Butter Cups, and Pepsi. Her favorite things to make were green bean casserole, tater tot casserole, New York strip steaks, beef stroganoff, and broccoli cheddar soup. Katie, however, had a serious dislike for mint ice cream and shared this anytime she ate a frozen treat.

Katie found a safe haven in music. Some of her favorite artists were The Beatles, Nirvana, and Jelly Roll. Katie would not listen to the Foo Fighters at all due to the death of Kurt Cobain and would share this story often. She loved to dance.

Katie took pleasure in watching movies and TV shows such as The Breakfast Club, Dexter, and Ozark. Some nights, before she fell asleep, she could be found watching Elvis Presley’s movies.

Throughout her adulthood, Katie had many animals that she adored and took care of them as if they were her own children. She left behind her most recent cat, Koshka, whom she loved dearly.

Katie was intelligent and could find a solution to any problem. She also had an extensive vocabulary. She wrote stories, letters, and completed many journals. She could usually be found curled up with a book. Prior to her death, she was on a journey of self healing. She found peace within her crystals, meditation, and intentions.

She is survived by her parents, Warren Day and Valerie Bradshaw; her children, Natalie (Colin) Hepner, Summer (JC) Engel, and Levi Palmer. Kathleen was a proud grandmother to Scarlett, Emilia, Lorelai, and Adelaide; as well as a beloved sister to Adam Day and Samantha Day. Additionally, she is survived by best-friend, Sarah Buckley; nieces, Katelyn, Addison, Emery, Autumn, and Adayn; and nephews, Kayden, Noah, and Kanyon.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Geneva Bishop Day, Ralph “Jack” Day, Larry Ellis, and Sandra McGaughey Ellis Klemme; uncle, Steven “Slip” Ellis; cousin, Benjamin Ellis; and best childhood friend, Levi Hamilton.

May her memory inspire greater understanding, kindness, and hope.