Obituary of Katherine Ann Schilling

Katherine “Katie” Ann Schilling passed away peacefully on July 2​nd​, 2020 with her loved ones by her side after a brief but ferocious battle with lung cancer. Katie was born June 1​st​, 1960 to Lionel “Bud” and Julie McTighe. She attended St. Jeans Catholic School until high school. She was a 1978 graduate of Denfeld High School and was a lifelong resident of the Duluth area. In 1979 she married her life partner, Paul, by whom she was loved for the rest of her life. They celebrated their 40​th​ anniversary last October.

Katie began working for AT&T in 1984 after her only child, Jessi, began elementary school. She continued to work as a long-distance telephone operator until a company wide restructuring in 1996. She then attended Lake Superior College where she obtained certification as a nursing assistant and home health aide. She worked in the medical field for the next 23 years in nursing homes/assisted living facilities, where she showed a deep compassion and genuine interest for all of the residents that she cared for. She retired in December of 2019. Katie was an avid cook, a book enthusiast, and a dedicated gardener.

Most of all, Katie enjoyed her role as grandma to her four grandchildren. They gave her strength, hope and joy every day. She never missed a special occasion, a sporting event or an opportunity to spend time with her grandchildren and her daughter. They all share a special connection that can not be broken. Katie will be missed for her wit, her loving and supportive nature and, most of all, the wonderful memories she left behind. She is survived by her husband Paul Schilling, daughter Jessi (Matt Herrick) Mickelson, grandchildren Natalie Herrick, Nathan, Audrey and Viviane Mickelson, mother-in-law Muriel Schilling, brother John McTighe, Duluth MN, sisters Colleen (Karl) Rybeck, Falmouth Maine, and Susan (Jim) Natwick, Nisswa, MN, many nieces, nephews and special friend Sharon Van Esch. Katie is preceded in death by her parents Lionel and Julie McTighe, father-in-law Theodore Schilling, brothers Martin, Daniel, James, and sister Mary Anderson.