1950
Kathy
2020
Kathy Gilliland Daily
January 30, 1950 — December 2, 2020
Kathy Gilliland Daily was born January 30, 1950, in Big Spring, Texas, to Dwite Marshall & Shirley Hatcher Gilliland. Kathy was the second of six children in a tight knit family. Kathy attended first grade in Texas, then the family moved to New Mexico. Most of her early years were spent in Roswell, but the family moved to Alamogordo when she began the 11th grade.
She attended Alamogordo High School, graduating in 1968. While attending high school in Alamogordo, she met Paul Daily (an upperclassman!) and they dated for six months. After graduation in 1968, she chose to attend Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico, where Paul also conveniently happened to be studying! She and Paul continued to date all during college, where she pledged the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority while studying Business Education. She graduated in 1972.
She and Paul married in 1970, establishing their home in a University housing area known as “Vet-Ville” because the buildings were old WWII military prison barracks! This was not luxury housing, and Paul remembers that even with windows closed, curtains would blow if it was windy outside!
After her college graduation, she taught school in Las Cruces, NM – mostly English at the middle school level; however, she also taught college level courses at the Community College.
While in Las Cruces, Kathy and Paul became the proud parents of three sons, Ryan (wife Jolene), Jaron (wife Michele), and Eric (wife Misty). Paul and Kathy are also proud grandparents to 14!
Kathy was always active in decorating her home – and of course – helping anyone else who needed decorating advice. One of her favorite things was volunteering Paul to help someone….ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE!! The family wonders if the furniture in heaven is still where it was when she first arrived because she loved to re-arrange!
Kathy loved to meet new people. While at Wal-Mart one day, she was telling the cashier about her upcoming trip to Israel. The cashier was so interested in hearing about the trip that Kathy brought back some souvenirs for her. Another time, Kathy befriended a lady living in her car while stranded in this area. She took the lady home and housed and fed her until the lady finished whatever she was in the area for! These are just small examples of Kathy’s big heart and her desire to always set a Godly example of unconditional love.
In the Daily household, Christmas lasted six months! She would buy gifts, wrap them, hide them, and promptly forget where many of them were hidden. Time would pass, and suddenly, in the middle of a new project, she’d discover wrapped Christmas gifts and promptly deliver them to the surprised family member!
Kathy had a way of winning people over to her way of thinking! As you know, she was a teacher and at the beginning of every school year, she was known as the “mean teacher”. By the end of the school year she was known as the “favorite teacher”. Accordingly, while in the hospital with cancer, when she didn’t think the doctors were giving her the whole truth, she threatened to call their mother if they didn’t get real with her.
Most people don’t know that Kathy was a painter. Not necessarily portraits, landscapes, or anything you’d put in a frame ….HOWEVER, she would paint the frame itself…and anything else you could set that frame on or hang it from. If she didn’t like the way it came out, she’d paint in again. After all, “just paint over it…it’s only paint”!!!
Even though Kathy’s illness cut her time on Earth short, she was a pillar of strength. She said from the beginning that she was ready, she knew what awaited her, she truly trusted God and His mercy, and she wanted to honor God until the end. You see, Kathy was not a shy Christian! Just ask Paul about her witnessing to her cancer doctors - not to mention the nurses, health care workers, and friends. She was never anything but bold and we know of many people who came to know Jesus because of her – not to mention the seeds she planted that may still grow someday.
Kathy is unique. Kathy is loved. Kathy is missed. Although our family is saddened to lose her, we know she’s happy, pain free, and best of all - with Jesus!
A memorial service for Kathy will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 1:30pm at the Countryside Bible Church (250 Countryside Ct., Southlake TX, 76092). The service can be viewed via live stream at the link below or a link to the memorial can be requested from the church at a later date.
The live stream link is: https://countrysidebible.org/media
The church is requesting that visitors wear a mask and practice social distancing while in the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the hospice service that provided such great care during Kathy’s last days. Community Healthcare of Texas, 6100 Western Place, Suite 105, Fort Worth, TX 76107: https://www.chot.org/
She attended Alamogordo High School, graduating in 1968. While attending high school in Alamogordo, she met Paul Daily (an upperclassman!) and they dated for six months. After graduation in 1968, she chose to attend Eastern New Mexico University in Portales, New Mexico, where Paul also conveniently happened to be studying! She and Paul continued to date all during college, where she pledged the Zeta Tau Alpha sorority while studying Business Education. She graduated in 1972.
She and Paul married in 1970, establishing their home in a University housing area known as “Vet-Ville” because the buildings were old WWII military prison barracks! This was not luxury housing, and Paul remembers that even with windows closed, curtains would blow if it was windy outside!
After her college graduation, she taught school in Las Cruces, NM – mostly English at the middle school level; however, she also taught college level courses at the Community College.
While in Las Cruces, Kathy and Paul became the proud parents of three sons, Ryan (wife Jolene), Jaron (wife Michele), and Eric (wife Misty). Paul and Kathy are also proud grandparents to 14!
Kathy was always active in decorating her home – and of course – helping anyone else who needed decorating advice. One of her favorite things was volunteering Paul to help someone….ANYONE, ANYTIME, ANYPLACE!! The family wonders if the furniture in heaven is still where it was when she first arrived because she loved to re-arrange!
Kathy loved to meet new people. While at Wal-Mart one day, she was telling the cashier about her upcoming trip to Israel. The cashier was so interested in hearing about the trip that Kathy brought back some souvenirs for her. Another time, Kathy befriended a lady living in her car while stranded in this area. She took the lady home and housed and fed her until the lady finished whatever she was in the area for! These are just small examples of Kathy’s big heart and her desire to always set a Godly example of unconditional love.
In the Daily household, Christmas lasted six months! She would buy gifts, wrap them, hide them, and promptly forget where many of them were hidden. Time would pass, and suddenly, in the middle of a new project, she’d discover wrapped Christmas gifts and promptly deliver them to the surprised family member!
Kathy had a way of winning people over to her way of thinking! As you know, she was a teacher and at the beginning of every school year, she was known as the “mean teacher”. By the end of the school year she was known as the “favorite teacher”. Accordingly, while in the hospital with cancer, when she didn’t think the doctors were giving her the whole truth, she threatened to call their mother if they didn’t get real with her.
Most people don’t know that Kathy was a painter. Not necessarily portraits, landscapes, or anything you’d put in a frame ….HOWEVER, she would paint the frame itself…and anything else you could set that frame on or hang it from. If she didn’t like the way it came out, she’d paint in again. After all, “just paint over it…it’s only paint”!!!
Even though Kathy’s illness cut her time on Earth short, she was a pillar of strength. She said from the beginning that she was ready, she knew what awaited her, she truly trusted God and His mercy, and she wanted to honor God until the end. You see, Kathy was not a shy Christian! Just ask Paul about her witnessing to her cancer doctors - not to mention the nurses, health care workers, and friends. She was never anything but bold and we know of many people who came to know Jesus because of her – not to mention the seeds she planted that may still grow someday.
Kathy is unique. Kathy is loved. Kathy is missed. Although our family is saddened to lose her, we know she’s happy, pain free, and best of all - with Jesus!
A memorial service for Kathy will be held on Wednesday, December 9, 2020 at 1:30pm at the Countryside Bible Church (250 Countryside Ct., Southlake TX, 76092). The service can be viewed via live stream at the link below or a link to the memorial can be requested from the church at a later date.
The live stream link is: https://countrysidebible.org/media
The church is requesting that visitors wear a mask and practice social distancing while in the church.
In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the hospice service that provided such great care during Kathy’s last days. Community Healthcare of Texas, 6100 Western Place, Suite 105, Fort Worth, TX 76107: https://www.chot.org/
To order memorial trees or send flowers to the family in memory of Kathy Gilliland Daily, please visit our flower store.
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