Kathleen (Kathy) Gilbert, age 90, passed away peacefully at the Kansas City Hospice House on December 20, 2017.  Born in Wilmore, Kentucky to Erven and Martha (Stoeltzing) Reep, she spent her formative years in a variety of small towns in Northeastern Kansas and Southern Nebraska where her father served as a minister to several rural congregations. After attending Bethany Nazarene College, she moved to Wichita as a young bride with her husband, Dick Gilbert. Here they raised their family while she also pursued her passions of gardening and supporting various missions throughout the world. After raising her children, she worked for many years as a school secretary for the Wichita Public Schools. She loved her job and, in particular, enjoyed her interactions with the children she served.

She was known in her neighborhood for her large and bountiful vegetable garden from which she sold produce for over 50 years. In her later years she donated the proceeds of her garden sales to a variety of charitable causes. She particularly loved to support schools and medical relief for children in underserved areas. She had a quick wit, a wry sense of humor, and a country saying to fit most any situation. Even in her last years when her short-term memory had faded, she kept those around her laughing with her never-ending humor. She was preceded in death by her husband James Richard (Dick) Gilbert and her daughter Lynette Kaye Gilbert. She is survived by her daughter Kristen Knoettgen (Overland Park, KS), her son Stan Gilbert and wife Marianne (Bellingham, WA), her grandchildren Ashley Basse-Lusebrink and husband Thomas (Ettlingen, Germany), Paul and wife Rachel, Abby and Elizabeth Knoettgen (all of Kansas City), Reece Gilbert (Los Angeles, CA) and Jesse Gilbert (Salt Lake City, Utah), and great grandchildren Julia and Finn Knoettgen (Kansas City, MO).

In lieu of flowers, please send donations to World Vision International.