Kathy Lynn Pilgrim

Kathy Lynn Pilgrim, age 83, passed away peacefully in Columbia, South Carolina on July 3, 2025. A native of Armbrust, Pennsylvania, born at Westmoreland Hospital in Greensburg, Kathy was daughter of Charles and Jane Plate (both deceased), sister to Rick Plate and Jackie Thorne (deceased), and stepsister to Amy Huibregtse. She was the beloved wife and widow to Lawrence Germain Pilgrim whom she shared 60 years of marriage. Larry passed in 2020, but no doubt greeted her with a twinkle in his eye. Their love for one another was simply beautiful and they lived a life full of creativity, love, working together, investing in others, and adventure. She is survived by their only child Lon Pilgrim.

A 1959 graduate of Hempfield High School, Kathy worked at ITE until her marriage in 1961, then poured her energy into building a home and family. The family home on Todd School Road in Greensburg was a hub of warmth and creativity for over 20 years before they relocated to Columbia, SC, where they spent their final decades together. Kathy was a lifelong artist in every sense. She wielded oil, acrylic, watercolor, and even a stylus with grace and imagination. A weekend warrior with a canvas, she could often be found painting outdoors in a park, near a landmark, or somewhere her easel shouldn’t technically have been. Her talents didn’t stop at the brush. Kathy cooked like a chef, gardened like a botanist, sewed like a tailor, and more. She made stained glass, took art classes for fun, and read more books than most small libraries carry. Weekends she could be found in the car going to some nature site, museum, antiquing, arts festivals and simple exploring new territories, or getting “just one more plant” at a roadside nursery. Only once to ever be in a plane, they were able to explore from the top of Maine down to the Keys of Florida and from the East Coast to a lot of the mid-west. Her sense of humor, open mindedness, and deep compassion left a lasting mark on everyone she met. She didn’t just create beauty, she compassionately lived it.

She and Larry will once again return to Greensburg PA for their final resting place. A memorial service will be held there at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly asks for donations to the American Red Cross Disaster Relief Fund at redcross.org/donate. Kathy donated regularly to help those affected by natural disasters and given the recent sudden flooding in Texas, any contributions made in her memory will carry extra meaning.

She will be deeply missed and forever remembered — every time the sun hits a stained-glass window, a paintbrush dances across a canvas, a new bud blooms to life, or cooking a new recipe fills the room.