Kathleen E. Burrows

Kathleen was born on January 5, 1943, in Waukesha, Wisconsin to Delbert Zoellick and Dorothy (Roller) Larson. She graduated from University of Wisconsin-Parkside with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education in June 1972. College was where she met her future husband, Lynn A. Burrows: they wed on June 6, 1970, in Kenosha and then spent the next 48 years together.

Kathy grew up in Caldwell, WI, alongside five fun and rambunctious brothers. Kathy frequently talked about what fun adventures they had had on a nearby farm as children and about the games they played outside their home, including football. She learned to deeply love the outdoors and all of nature, from the gardens she grew, to the plants she lovingly cared for, to the birds that frequented the feeders outside her dining room window in Byron, to the zoo animals she enjoyed seeing at the San Diego Zoo and elsewhere.

Kathy was also someone who truly loved people. And people truly loved her. She quickly grew in the hearts of those around her. She was a giver and a servant to all of the different communities of which she was a part. She gave as a Third Grade teacher to the young children she taught before she married; she gave at Y.O.U.R., Inc. in Webster City, IA as an aide that helped families with WIC, Head Start, and the food pantry; she gave to kids of all ages working as a substitute teacher and as an OCEC special education aide in Byron, IL. She gave as a volunteer for various church needs and committees at All Saints Lutheran in Byron; she gave with her caring, smiles, humor, and listening ear at her independent living community Independence Village in Peoria. But she gave most of all throughout her life as an amazing wife to her husband Lynn, and as a patient and kind mother to her two daughters, Darcy and Brenda.

Kathy was a very creative and sweet person with a fantastic sense of humor. She would draw cartoons and send them in Get Well cards to people in church who were ailing, to loved ones far away, to friends to say hi, and to her kids when off at college. She loved to laugh and had an impish, mischievous sense of humor. She was excellent at playing cards and board games and would win out of the blue with a smile and a wink. She was talented at arts and crafts and had beautiful practiced penmanship, including calligraphy. Her beautiful hands made many beautiful works of art.

Kathy loved taking walks outdoors with her husband Lynn and her two daughters, Darcy and Brenda. Kathy deeply enjoyed accomplishing a life goal of taking a hot air balloon ride in Galena, IL. She also enjoyed patronizing the local art scene with her husband Lynn through attending art shows in the summer as well as attending musicals and plays in the fall and winter months at the area community theatres.

Even during the twilight of her life, Kathy deeply impacted and influenced the people around her, from her friends at Independence Village in Peoria to her hospice nurses at OSF Richard L. Owens. She smiled with kindness and gratitude until the very end of her life. Each day was a gift to Kathy. She would always celebrate her birthday as an accomplishment, as making it another year. During her 83 years, she deeply and profoundly influenced those around her, teaching others about the impact of kindness and gratitude simply by being herself.

She is survived by her beloved family: daughters, Darcy (Doug) Friede and Brenda (Randy) Stilson, a granddaughter, Bijoux Stilson and a grandson, Finnigan Stilson, five brothers, Jerry (Judy) Zoellick, Wayne (Linda) Zoellick, Lee Zoellick, Greg (Barb) Zoellick, and Geoff (Debbie) Zoellick, as well as many loved nieces, nephews, grandnephews and a grandniece. She was predeceased by her husband Lynn in February 2019.

Thank you Kathy for the amazing gift of your life – the little things matter. In lieu of flowers, donations for Susan G. Komen Breast Cancer Fund or OSF Richard L. Owens Hospice Peoria are appreciated.

Visitation will take place on Saturday, September 26, 2026, at Davison-Fulton Woolsey-Wilton Funeral Home, from 10:00 a.m. until the time of service at 11:00 a.m. Interment will be private. Condolences and memories may be shared through Woolsey-Wilton.com