Kathleen “Kathie” Mary Gillette, age 90, of Front Royal, VA, died peacefully on June 4, 2024.
Kathleen “Kathie” Mary Gillette
Kathie was born on March 12, 1934, in Washington, DC, to the late Mabel (nee Weldy) and Norman J. Hall.
Kathie grew up in Arlington, VA, and graduated from Washington and Lee High School. She earned her associate’s degree in secretarial science from Averett College in Danville, VA.
Kathie was married to her late husband, Joseph “Joe,” for 68 years before he passed away in July of 2023.
Kathie and Joe raised their family in Springfield, VA, and Dale City, VA. In 1996, they settled in Front Royal on Hall family land that goes back generations.
For most of her career, Kathie was an Atlantic Research and Versar secretary. She retired after serving as a receptionist at Conferon.
Kathie was known for her sweet, easy-going nature. Although soft-spoken, Kathie was very sociable and treated everyone with kindness and respect. She showed a genuine interest in other people and made everyone feel special.
After retirement, Kathie spent her days walking her dogs in the woods, working in the yard, and baking cookies.
Kathie was a devout Catholic and parishioner of St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church in Front Royal.
Kathie was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph A. Gillette; her parents, Mabel and Norman Hall; her sister, Patricia Hall McLamara; her daughter, Kathleen Welsh; her son-in-law, Michael Welsh; and her brother-in-law, William Daniels.
Kathie is survived by her children, Joseph (Suzi) of Front Royal, Michael (Cynthia) of Fairfax, and Daniel (Sadie) of Alexandria; her sisters-in-law, Judith Martin and Jeanne Heiderman (Norman); 11 grandchildren; three great-grandchildren; and many nieces, nephews and cousins. She also leaves behind her faithful Maltese, London, who was constantly by her side for several years.
Visitation will be held from 6-8 p.m. on Tuesday, June 25, 2024, at Maddox Funeral Home, 105 W Main St, Front Royal, VA 22630.
The funeral mass will be held at 10:30 a.m. Wednesday, June 26, 2024, at St. John the Baptist Roman Catholic Church, 120 W. Main St., Front Royal, VA 22630.
Burial will take place at 2 p.m. at Quantico National Cemetery, 18424 Joplin Rd, Triangle, VA 22172. (60 miles away)
Instead of flowers, contributions may be made to the Humane Society of Warren County or Goodwin Hospice.
I Wandered Lonely as a Cloud
William Wordsworth
I wandered lonely as a cloud
That floats on high o’er vales and hills,
When all at once I saw a crowd,
A host, of golden daffodils;
Beside the lake, beneath the trees,
Fluttering and dancing in the breeze.
Continuous as the stars that shine
And twinkle on the milky way,
They stretched in never-ending line
Along the margin of a bay:
Ten thousand saw I at a glance,
Tossing their heads in sprightly dance.
The waves beside them danced; but they
Out-did the sparkling waves in glee:
A poet could not but be gay,
In such a jocund company:
I gazed—and gazed—but little thought
What wealth the show to me had brought:
For oft, when on my couch I lie
In vacant or in pensive mood,
They flash upon that inward eye
Which is the bliss of solitude;
And then my heart with pleasure fills,
And dances with the daffodils.