Lorita Jane (Freeborn) Stilley

Lorita Jane (Freeborn) Stilley, 61, Overland Park, KS, died May 7, 2023, at St. Luke's North Hospital, Kansas City, MO, due to complications from chronic kidney disease, surrounded by her loving husband, Bill; daughter, Becca; son, Dan, and family and friends.

Funeral services will be 1:00 p.m., Tuesday, May 16th, at McGilley & Hoge Chapel, 8024 Santa Fe Drive, Overland Park, KS 66204; burial in Shawnee Mission Memory Gardens, Shawnee, KS. Visitation will be 6-8 p.m., Monday, May 15th at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests memorial contributions be made to The National Kidney Foundation, American Liver Foundation, and Wayside Waifs, Inc. of Kansas City, MO., in care of the funeral home.

Lorita was born December 30, 1961, in Seneca, KS, to Derryl Lee and Marilyn Jane (Hutchinson) Freeborn. Her family moved to Overland Park in 1964 and attended Shawnee Mission schools, graduating from Shawnee Mission West High School in 1980, where she was editor of the Saga yearbook, a member of the chorus, and sang in various theatrical productions. She attended Baker University, Baldwin City, KS, where she sang with the chambers choir, and was a member of Omicron Chapter of Alpha Chi Omega sorority, graduating in 1984 with a B. A. in sociology. After graduation, she was employed by KimberlyQualityCare home healthcare company, later Olsten, Overland Park, in the corporate offices as manager of the Medicare billing department and managed a team.

Lorita and Bill were married March 19, 1988, and were blessed by the births of their children, Rebecca in 1992 and Daniel in 1997. In 2000, she decided to devote herself full-time as a stay-at-home mom.

In 2011, she assisted Bill in opening his solo law practice, Stilley Law Office, LLC, Independence, MO, as the business and office manager, receptionist and legal assistant. She was diagnosed with end stage renal disease in 2019, and began her long fight against the disease and its complications, and endured a lot of pain. The pandemic forced her to stay at home as she was immune compromised.

She was very creative--loved painting, collaging, especially with her friends Shari Clark and Lori Tan, scrapbooking (a Creative Memories scrapbooking company consultant), making fused glass art with Lori, decorating the office and homes, and selling online. Music was a big part of her life, from classical, pop, rock and roll, gospel, to contemporary.

She was a lover of animals, particularly cats and dogs. She loved her "grand-kitties" Lucy and Ted, and most recently mourned the loss of Yankee our cat in 2022, along with her cats, Butter, Jenks, Muffins, and Captain; and dogs, Bowser, Goldie and Doodle.

She was a woman of faith, a member of Church of the Resurrection United Methodist Church, Leawood; and a former member of St. Mark's United Methodist Church, Overland Park; First Baptist Church of Independence; Leawood Baptist Church and Christ Community Evangelical Free Church, Leawood.

She was preceded in death by her parents; grandparents, Merl Freeborn, Fern Hollenbeck Freeborn Konig, Carl Hutchinson and Elva Bushey Hutchinson; a special grand aunt, Nellie Bushey; aunts, Esther Hutchinson Nissen and Lois Freeborn Peters; uncle, Herbert Nissen; and cousin, William Busby. She is survived by her husband of 35 years, William Douglas Stilley; her daughter, Rebecca Jane Stilley (and her partner, Donald Peterson), Lenexa, KS; and son, Daniel William Stilley, Overland Park; brother and sister-in-law, Randal Lee and Sandra Kirby Freeborn, Lee's Summit, MO; niece, Angela Kay Freeborn Pernoud (Michael), Weldon Spring, MO; nephew, Brian Lee Freeborn (Jennifer), Greenwood, MO; grand nieces, Madeleine Pernoud, Caitlin Pernoud, Elaina Pernoud and Emery Freeborn; grandnephews, Levi Freeborn, Coleman Freeborn and Michael G. Pernoud; brother-in-law, Robert James Stilley, Jr. (Mary), Lee's Summit, MO, sisters-in-law, Mary Sue Stilley Langner (Fred), Pleasant Valley, MO; Barbara Stilley Major (Roy), Blue Springs, MO, niece-in-law, Amy Langner Jacoby (Chris) Blue Springs, MO; nephews-in-law, Robert James Stilley III (Jennifer), Overland Park, Douglas Frederick Langner (Lori), Kansas City, Andrew Morris Major (Taylor Latham), Los Angeles, CA; Christopher Robert Major (Erin), Shawnee, KS, Aaron William Stilley (Laura Solentjes), Eden Prairie, MN, and Jeffrey Allen Stilley (Megan), Blacksburg, VA; and grandnieces and grandnephews-in-law); aunts and uncles, Lorna Hutchinson Slimmer and Lawrence Slimmer, Hiawatha, KS, Cleo Hutchinson Van Dalsem and Elvon Van Dalsem, Fairview, KS; Thomas Peters, Gentry, AR and Sandra Freeborn Westcott, Lawton, OK; and many cousins.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.mcgilleyhoge.com for the Stilley family.