- Date Of Birth: July 24, 1931
- Date Of Death: August 30, 2020
- State: Illinois
Keota Kathryn Shouse, 89, of Jacksonville, IL died Sunday, Aug. 30, 2020, at Jacksonville Skilled Nursing & Rehab. She was born July 24, 1931, in Kane, the daughter of Edward Lee and Eva Marie Winters Stevens. She married William Robert “Bill” Shouse on Dec. 28, 1952, in Jacksonville and he preceded her in death on June 25, 2000.
She is survived by two sons and two daughters, Rock W. (Deanna) Shouse of Springfield, Keota “Kodie” (David) Shillings of Jacksonville, Kim (Darrell) Brown of Jacksonville, and Henry “Hank” Shouse of Chicago; nine grandchildren, Beau (Lacy) Shillings, Kara (Kevin) Franke, Judd (Shelly) Shillings, Chelsea Heinemann (Doug Perabeau), Lauren Shouse, Will Shouse, Sunshine (Ed) Dawdy, Chris (Kelly) Hoots, and Matthew (Jessica) Harris; twenty-six great-grandchildren; three great-great-granddaughters; and one sister, Barbara Lee Gonzalez of St. Louis, MO. She was preceded in death by her mother and stepfather who raised her, Eva Marie and Arthur “Bud” Burns; her husband; one sister, Christena Marie Smith; and two brothers, Russell Louis Stevens and George Edward Stevens (surviving wife Ann of Traverse City, MI).
Mrs. Shouse was a 1949 graduate of Jacksonville High School, and she always said she loved every person in her class. After graduating, she went to work for Dr. A.M. Paisley. She then began work for the University of Illinois Business Department, working part-time for the Landscape Architecture Dept. and the Arts Dept. Returning to Jacksonville, she worked for Dr. Garm Norbury and Dr. Sara Clark, then for attorney Bill Wilson. Following that, she worked for Ivan Garrison, Director of Special Education at Jacksonville High School, before retiring as Secretary to Max Roegge, President of 1st National Bank in 1977. Keota was a member of Passavant Hospital Auxiliary, First Baptist Church, was a past chairman of the March Of Dimes, and past President of the National Secretary Association. She enjoyed sewing, crafts, playing bridge with the 49’ers, and especially loved spending time with her grandchildren. In her lifetime, Keota touched the lives of many, many people.
