Kathryn Muriel Lillyman

Kathryn (Kit) M. Lillyman, 94, of Dixon died July 17, 2018. She was born June 1, 1924 in Highland Park, IL, the daughter of Kenneth and Zada (McAllister) Ligare. Kathryn attended high school in Oak Park, IL and continued college at Lawrence, Rosary and Beloit, graduation Summa Cum Laude from Beloit in 1951. During World War II she worked at the Chicago Association of Commerce as a translator of foreign language correspondence. In 1946 she married Walter H. Lillyman in River Forest. The next fifteen years were spent in Beloit raising their family and establishing deep friendships. Kathryn was also a founder of Great Books in Beloit, a local Art Gallery and the Kappa Alpha Theta Chapter at Beloit College. She taught Spanish part-time at the college. In 1961, Kathryn, Walter and the family went to Buenos Aires, Argentina where he served as Bicultural Director for the U.S. Information Service and she taught English at the American Community School. This was a unique bilingual school serving children of those in the Diplomatic Corps and American Businesses in Argentina. The family returned to Beloit in 1964, when she taught for several years and then won a Carnegie Grant for Mature Women. She was named an E.B. Fred Fellow at the University of Wisconsin where she attended Spanish-only classes for a year and received her M.A. in Spanish in 1966. In 1967 Kathryn started teaching Spanish, French and English at the new Sauk Valley Community College in Dixon, where she was an enthusiastic and innovative teacher, creating Survival Spanish courses for those in many professions, as well as standard Spanish and French courses. Her courses in Technical Writing took her to many community industries, where she put executives and business personnel to work. Her work at the college extended to a summer workshop, created by Kit and Karen Pinter for 72 Indochinese refugees: teaching English to those who knew none. The course received national praise. Kit founded and served as President of the Northern Illinois Chapter of the American Teachers of Spanish and Portuguese and was also a board member of the Illinois Council on the teaching of foreign languages. She presented papers at national and international conventions, introducing her Survival Spanish course for Nurses. In the community she served as member and past president of the Dixon Chapter of American Association of University Women. She was a member of the Phidian Art Club. During retirement years, after 1995, she volunteered and served as a tutor for VITAL (Volunteers in Teaching Adult Literacy) teaching after fifty years, she still enjoyed it. She studied at several summer school programs in Spain, France and Costa Rica, but the most interesting and prized fellowship grant she received was from the national Endowment of the Humanities, to study French at Harvard. Kathryn loved to travel, whether with her sister on elder hostels or attending summer schools in Salamanca, Spain, Dixon, France, Mexican sites or just plain across the country at many different summer schools. In family-raising years she and Walt, their kids and those of their close friends went camping, visiting many beautiful historic and fun parks. Kit's pride was her family and was most evident as she grew to understand the outstanding and varied careers and work of her sons and daughter. She most enjoyed family celebrations together. Her friendships, created after retirement, were deep as she continued teaching Survival Spanish for Seniors to her amigos. Kit was presented an honorary Associate of Arts degree from Sauk Valley Community College on May 11, 2018, "in recognition of her exceptional distinction of service to her family, profession, and community." She liked best to be at home, near or ready for visits from her children and grandchildren. Also there was the cat she and her husband named Dulcinea. Kathryn is survived by her sons, Thomas, James (Dina), Daniel (Barbara), and Walter III (Michele), and her daughter, Nancy (Jerry) Holcomb. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Katy (Lillyman) Keller, Joseph Lillyman, Jessie Lillyman, and Brianna Lillyman, two great granddaughters, Hailey Lillyman and Remy Lillyman, and one great grandson, Conner Russell. She was preceded in death by her parents, her husband Walter, her brother Kenneth Ligare, her sister Blanche Lindmark, and one great granddaughter Gracie Lillyman. She additionally remembers two special sisters-in-law, Carol Ligare and Catherine Owen and her lifetime friend, Suzy Boltz. Funeral services will be held on Friday, July 20, 2018, beginning with an 11:30 AM prayer service in the Jones Funeral Home in Dixon, followed by a 12:00 PM Mass of Christian Burial at St. Patrick Catholic Church in Dixon with the Rev. Thomas Doyle, officiating. Burial will follow in Oakwood Cemetery in Dixon. Visitation will be held on Friday, from 9:30 AM until 11:30 AM in the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, please consider donating to the Kit Lillyman Endowment at the Sauk Valley College Foundation. Condolences may be sent online at www.thejonesfh.com.

Kathryn Muriel Lillyman

June 1, 1924 - July 17, 2018