Kathleen Lois (Quinlan) Sippy, 95, of rural Oxford - Norway, IA passed away Wednesday evening, September 12, 2018 at The Bird House of Iowa City.  As in all of her important occasions, her loving family was by her side.
Funeral Mass will be celebrated at St. John XXIII Catholic Church, Fairfax, Iowa at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, September 21st with Father Vu officiating.  Friends and family may call from 4 to 7 p.m. Thursday, September 20th at the church.  Memorials may be directed for the family to use at their discretion.  Online condolences can be sent at www.hrabakfuneralhome.com .
Kathleen Sippy was born August 6, 1923 to William J. and Barbara A. (Tomash) Quinlan in a farmhouse near Cosgrove, IA. She was the oldest of 5 children - Eileen, Rose Ann, Larry, and Jerry.  She graduated from Oxford High School in 1941, and taught in a one room schoolhouse near the Iowa River bottom earning $85 per month.  She told of climbing the scaffolding surrounding Mt. Rushmore when they were still carving that mighty monument.  She was a fearless and athletic woman.  On her 20th birthday, she took a train to Chicago when she enlisted in the WAVES ( United States Naval Reserve) .  During her training in the Bronx and Brooklyn, New York, she enjoyed several Broadway shows in the big city and even won a dance contest with a British officer.  Kathleen served in Jacksonville, Florida; Bethesda, Maryland; Shoemaker, California; and eventually Base 8 Hospital, Pearl Harbor, earning the rank of Pharmacist's Mate Third Class.  She witnessed President Roosevelt's funeral procession in 1945.  She returned home after the war and attended Art School at Cornell College on the GI Bill.  She traveled to Mexico for a summer art program, and while in Mexico, hiked to see the eruption of the Parícutin volcano. Kenneth and Kathleen were married in December of 1948 and remained a devoted couple for 68 years.  They farmed for many years in the Oxford and then the Norway, IA area.  She was the mother of 10 children - 5 boys and 5 girls, grandmother to 25 children and great grandmother to 13 children.  She entered the workforce after her youngest child started school, and worked at Mercy Hospital and the UI College of Dentistry in central sterilization.  She had a gift for attracting people both young and old.
Kenneth and Kathleen traveled to Washington, D.C. in 2012 as honorees with the Veterans Honor Flight.  After the long day, they were met at the airport with cheers and yellow roses.  Kathleen was also a member of the Fairfax American Legion Pekomy Post 572.
She loved nature, taking walks, hayrack rides, feeding the birds, enjoying the "babbling brooks", and marveling at the beauty of this world.  She kept an enormous and productive garden.  Her grandchildren were the joy of her life - she had a special way of loving each and every one.  There was always fun at her house with kitties, the special spot on her lap for reading books, marbles, gardening, treats, and walks down to the creek.  Once she caught a praying mantis and kept it for several days to show to inquisitive young minds.
She taught us the importance of kindness, gratitude and humility; virtues that are surely the essence of a rewarding life.  She was truly a good person in thought and deed.  She had a generous heart and was a warm and wonderful human being.  The umbrella of her love and acceptance will live on long after she is gone. We love you to pieces, Mom!
She was preceded in death by her husband, Kenneth Noyes Sippy, and their son Francis Joseph Sippy.
She is survived by nine children and their spouses: Michele Gerdes, Thomas (Jean) Sippy, Sheila (Larry) Trevena, Karen (Dale) Ries, Kevin (Alisa) Sippy, Brian (Marietta) Sippy, Julie (Gary) Rickert, Timothy (Yvonne) Sippy, and Bridget (Scott) Peters. Her grandchildren and their spouses include: Pat (Morgana) Sippy, Rachel (Chad) Sippy, Grace (Wyatt) Sippy, Valerie (Steve) Trevena Moore, Matt (Suzanne) Trevena, Jessica Trevena, Emily (Aaron) Trevena Harkness, Peter Ries, Michele Ries, Jason Sippy, Andre Sippy, Tonya Sippy, Melissa (Seth) Sippy Pickett, Jake (Julie) Sippy, Nicole Sippy, Kyle Rickert, Erin Rickert, Olivia Sippy, Elizabeth (Kevin) Lavallee Woods, Nathan Sippy, Julia Lavallee, Regan Sippy, Lauren (Adam) Peters Johnson, Rachel Peters, and Mitchell Peters.