Kathy Lillis

You might not have noticed Kathy Lillis at BHS. Quiet, deep, and oh, so bright.  I remember her in third grade, talking about the beauty of classical music while we listened to it on the record player. In our early teens, I remember a walk to Pioneer Park in the early quiet of the morning to watch the creek and talk about the meaning of life - soulful and sweet.

And, Kathy was kind and light-hearted. She loved kittens, which were always abundant at her house. She had a quick smile and a twinkle in her eye when there was fun to be had.

In Senior High, Kathy was in Honor Society, French Club, and Activity Club, but never at the center of things. Rather, she led from the side. Empathetic and open-minded, she was the person you would turn to when you needed to talk about anything important in your life. An exceptional student, Kathy spent part of her junior year as an exchange student in Germany and was one of only two National Merit Finalists in the Class of 1965.

After graduation, Kathy went to Stanford and majored in English. She taught junior high English in California and because of her petite size, her students once told her that they thought she was "one of us"! She loved teaching and loved the kids.

Kathy's much too short life came to an end in a car accident with her fiancè on their way to Billings to tell her parents their good news. Kathy was only 24 years old. Kathy and Paul Batcheller planned to make their home in Sioux Falls, SD. Besides the heartbreaking loss of a wonderful friend on the threshold of her adult life,I was saddened a second time when I moved to Sioux Falls in 1986 and realized that I would have had a chance to spend more time with Kathy and her family. All of us who remember her will think of her loving, gentle way of being.

Mollie Hagen