Kathleen Anne Sterling

Kathleen Anne Sterling, 58, of Elkhorn, WI, died January 11, 2015 in Elkhorn. Kathleen was born at the Bethesda Naval Hospital, Maryland. She lived in Kansas and moved to Zion in 1963 through 2001. During that time she was awarded a one year political internship in Washington D.C. She attended Elementary School in Kansas and Zion, Illinois, and graduated from Zion Benton Township High School in 1974. She received her Associate Degree from the College of Lake County, and her Bachelor’s Degree in Labor Studies in 1992 from Antioch University. Kathleen worked for the Illinois Bell Telephone Company for 12 years. She was actively involved in her local Communications Workers of America (CWA) union, local 212, and was the past president of the organization. She was a union organizer on the East Coast for Service Employee International Union (SEIU) in New York. She also worked for a short time as a substitute teacher in Illinois. Kathy was a member of ‘The Jongleurs’ singing group from 1975 performing at many venues including the Renaissance Faire in Bristol, Wisconsin and The Oprah Winfrey Show. Her Jongleurs Group made records that consisted of madrigal and Christmas music. Kathy was a CWA member, former delegate and past Recording-Secretary of the Northeastern Illinois Federation of Labor, AFL/CIO. She is a current Member of the National Association of The Daughters of the American Revolution, Little Fort Chapter and Former member of The Society of Mayflower Descendants, National and the State of Illinois. Kathy was a very loving, outgoing, and caring person. She loved family and was very fond of animals. She was politically active and had a deep concern for the rights of all. She will always be missed! Kathy is survived by her brother Christopher Eric (Linda) Sterling of Ocala, Florida; sister Diana Lynn (Jerome) Pawelak, of Gurnee, IL; niece Lisa (Stephen Walden) Pawelak and their children Sundara and Naiya Walden; niece Jill (Joseph) Simons and their children Raiden and Ryder; niece Sara (Daniel) Lethert and their children Kayla and Jackson; nephew Gary Pawelak; niece Janet (Nestor) Quarshie and their children Gabriel and Eliana; and many cousins and friends. She was preceeded in death by her parents Plynn Marcus Sterling and Edna Mae Sterling (nee-Jones). A visitation will be held on Sunday, January 18, 2015 from 5:30 until 6:30 p.m., followed by a funeral service at 6:30 p.m. at the Congdon Funeral Home, 3012 Sheridan Road, Zion, IL. Interment will take place at 10:00 a.m. on Monday, January 19, 2015 at Mt. Olivet Memorial Park, 1436 Kenosha Road, Zion. In lieu of flowers, please send donations to Kindred Hearts of Elkhorn Assisted Living, 450 East Geneva St., Elkhorn, Wisconsin 53121.