Kay C. Gilmer

Pittsburg, KS- Kay Gilmer, 75, retired teacher, died peacefully on Saturday, June 10, 2023, at Ascension Via Christi Hospital in Pittsburg after a several-year battle with lymphoma. Kay C. Gilmer was born March 7, 1948, in Rome, Georgia, to Harold P. and Pauline Scott Jones Gilmer. She moved to Pittsburg at age three after her parents divorced and her mother returned to her hometown and extensive family. Kay and her mother eventually settled in Kansas City, where Kay grew up and then taught for many years while also maintaining a strong connection to Pittsburg and her extended family of her grandmother, aunts, uncles, and cousins. She earned her bachelor’s degree from Pittsburg State University and a master’s in special education from the University of Kansas. For more than 50 years, Kay taught in several school districts in eastern Kansas, initially in early elementary grades in Kansas City. In 2014, she moved to Pittsburg and continued as a substitute teacher at Southeast Middle School in Cherokee and St. Mary’s Colgan Catholic School in Pittsburg. Kay also had a deep love of horses and riding, often attending horse shows throughout the country. In her younger years, Kay devotedly cared for her two Arabians, tending to them early and late while maintaining her busy teaching schedule in the city. She was also passionate about the Gypsy Camp for Girls, in Siloam Springs, Arkansas, where she spent time as a child and then attended annual reunions. Kay was always up for great conversation on a range of topics. Most recently, her passion was spending time writing a book for middle school students about St. Eustatius. She also enjoyed playing bridge online, and taking care of her cat, Buster. Kay was predeceased by her parents and cousins, Shirley Strevell, James Sherman, and Jon Sherman. She is survived by her cousins, Brian Jones of Pittsburg, Cameron Jones of Leawood, KS, Gordon Jones of McLean, VA, Treva Sherman of Pittsburg, Donna Sherman of Overland Park, KS, Scott Strevell of Overland Park, KS, Lynn Strevell of Porterfield, WI, and their families. Kay was a parishioner at Sacred Heart Catholic Church in Frontenac. Her wish was to be cremated. No service is planned at this time.

Kay C. Gilmer

March 7, 1948 - June 10, 2023