Kathleen C. Scales

Kathleen C. Scales, nee Kelly, age 79, formerly of Glen Ellyn. Beloved wife of William “Red” Scales; loving mother of Kelly Cobian, Mary Beth Belcher (Dave Newlin), William Scales, Sheila (Dave) Zisk, Colleen (Anthony) Collins, Thomas (Michelle) Scales; cherished grandmother of 16; precious great-grandmother of 12; dearest daughter of the late Thomas and late Harriette Kelly; adored sister of Thomas (Mary Lou) Kelly, Mary Pat (Bill) O’Connor, Michael (Maddie) Kelly, Richard (the late Maureen) Kelly, Patrick Kelly, and Therese (the late Dave) Mugerditchian; prized aunt, cousin and friend of many. Visitation Monday 5/10 from 3:00 p.m. until 9:00 p.m. at Salerno’s Rosedale Chapels, 450 West Lake Street, Roselle. Mass on Tuesday 5/11 at 10:00 a.m. at St. Matthew Church, 1555 Glen Ellyn Road, Glendale Heights. In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to RRAF which benefits adults with developmental disabilities, 613 South Main Street, Lombard, IL 60148 www.rraf.org, would be appreciated.

Kathleen C. Scales was born to Thomas and Harriette Kelly on December 11, 1941 in Evergreen Park and was raised in Chicago, IL. She grew up the oldest of six siblings – Tom, Mary Pat, Mike, Rich, Pat and Therese. Kathy was an artist who loved drawing and painting. She loved spending summers up in Wisconsin at the family cottage on Eagle Lake; a tradition that she carried on with her own children later in her life. She attended St. Sabina Parish and then Mercy High School. When she was in grade school, she met the love of her life William “Red” Scales. Kathy was class president in high school and loved to roller skate in competitions with “Red”. Kathy was always a servant of the Lord and she even considered becoming a nun.

Fortunately for “Red” Scales, Kathy married him on May 13, 1961. William “Red” Scales was Kathy’s world. She enjoyed spending her time with him the most. They did everything together including spending time up in Wisconsin and Florida. William said that doing anything with Kathy was a joy. They loved life together. This May 13 would have been their 60th wedding anniversary.

Kathy had seven children – Big Brother Billy, Kelly, Mary Beth, Billy, Sheila, Colleen and Tommy. She maintained her strong faith in God even when her first child was called to Heaven after 15 days on Earth. Kathy always celebrated Big Brother Billy’s birthdays with a cake and balloons with messages to Heaven. Going overboard on holidays with celebrations, decorations and enough food to feed the neighborhood was important to Kathy because being with family was always her priority. It was most important to Kathy for her children to be kind, loving people. Her children remember her as being full of faith, fun and love. She supported all of her children’s interests, activities, dreams and goals; she allowed each child to be who they are and embraced their individuality. Kathy was always there to listen, comfort and guide her children in life lessons. Through her example, her children carry on this legacy.

Kathy was very involved at St. Matthew’s Church. She was President and Vice President for the Council of Catholic Women and volunteered for almost every event. She was Woman of the Year. She was chairperson for the St. Matthew Fun Fair and the Fashion Show. Kathy also worked as a teacher for a CCD program for children with special needs. She worked at the DuPage County Convalescent Center for 25 years; she enjoyed working with the elderly and ensuring their comfort until the end. It was important to her that all people had someone to be with them when they passed on. She was a Eucharistic Minister at her church in Wisconsin and she took communion to people who were homebound.

Kathy has 16 grandchildren who she was very proud of and doted on – Megan, Kerri, David, Adam, Desi, Jeffery, Jamon, Devon, Bridget, Riley, Dylan, Keegan, Shane, Jack, Colleen and Bryan. Kathy was dubbed “Grandma Ducky” by her grandchildren and she was the most fun, party grandma you could ever imagine. She celebrated every single holiday with decorations, costumes and parties. The 4th of July celebrations at her precious Lily Lake were epic. Kathy even made costumes and bike decorations to make sure the grandchildren had a great time. We had Easter egg hunts, went to St. Patrick’s Day parades, Irish Fest and so much more. Each grandchild had his/her own little Christmas tree at her house in which she hand-made tree skirts with their names on it. Kathy never let a birthday go by without celebrating with a cake and decorations. Kathy made sure to make every one of her grandchildren feel special by attending games, plays, graduations and every event she could. She was always the grandkids number one cheerleader. Kathy was a role model to her grandchildren of faith, love and family.

Kathy has 12 great grandchildren who have been so important to her – Luca, Alyssa, Eleanor, Kaelynn, Jack, Nico, Nylah, William, Patrick, Gianna, Renzo, and Reagan. She always said that having great grandchildren was a blessing. She loved watching her great-grandchildren grow up and always wanted to know the latest news about them. They loved giving her hugs and kisses and they loved their “Great Grandma Ducky” very much.

One of the highlights of Kathy’s life was all of her friendships. One of her dearest friends of over 50 years wrote it best: “Having Kathy as a friend was a gift. Kathy was the most generous person one could have as a friend. Her generosity was endless. It included love, laughter, kindness, fun, food, telephone calls, more fun, love and laughter. Kathy was always a hopeful, optimistic, joyful, “glass half-full” friend. There were two things Kathy never did: 1. She never whined about anything. 2. She never complained. Isn’t friendship a joy! Each of us has our own precious moments and memories of Kathy…from her dear old friends from grammar school and high school to her NEW old friends from St. Matthew….and to those dear friends who went before her…We all say Good Bye Dear One. It has been our pleasure having you show us how important the gift of friendship can be. You were the gift of friendship. You were the gift bearer and we, your friends, were the recipients. We will strive to be worthy of your gift. Thank you, dearest Kathy. Rest in peace.”

Kathy’s legacy is her family and anyone who was blessed to know what a beautiful, faithful and amazing woman she was. She would want everyone to know that “Family is the most important and we are so lucky to have each other.”