Kathleen Mondy was born on January 4, 1930 in East St. Louis, Illinois to Harve and Myrtle (nee Moore) Mondy.  She grew up in State Park Place and attended elementary school there.  She attended Collinsville High School, where she was president of the senior class, graduating in 1948.  After high school she was employed as an operator for Illinois Bell Telephone.

On July 22, 1950 she married Gene Louis Shimkus of Collinsville and, with the exception of a couple of years living in Breese, Illinois, spent the remainder of her years living in the Collinsville area. As the years went by their family grew with the addition of seven children and their spouses -- Bill and wife Bette of Portland, Oregon, Dorothy Joyce, Joan Green and husband Bernie, John and wife Karen, Helen Ross and husband Pat from Tennessee, Jean Holten and Jana Heuer and husband Chris; fifteen grandchildren and fifteen great-grandchildren.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Colleen Davis of Utica, New York and brother Harvey and sister-in-law Faye of El Cajon, California and one great-grandchild, Jonas Heuer.  She is survived by her husband Gene and her brother and sister-in-law, Bill and Janice Mondy of Indianapolis, Indiana, her children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Kathleen's life revolved around her family.  She was constantly busy attending scout meetings, chauffeuring kids to and from swimming and baseball practices, and participating in a wide variety of school and church activities—having been a member of the parent-teacher league at Holy Cross for 24 years. She was an active member of Holy Cross Lutheran Church in Collinsville and sang in the choir.  In addition, she was employed as a cook at Holy Cross school, in sales for Cardinal Real Estate Management in O'Fallon and sold Tupperware.  In her latter years, she became involved in government and politics, assisting in her son John's campaigns and serving as a delegate to the Republican National Convention in 2000.  She was elected to the Collinsville Township Board in 1993 and served there for twenty years.  She had a special interest in the needs of senior citizens and was instrumental in the construction of the Collinsville Township Senior Center.

Kathleen had many friends and could hardly go anywhere without recognizing people and greeting them with a cheerful "hello".  Until recently she would regularly gather with friends from her high school class for a card club. Even in the last week of her life she was inquiring about the welfare of her husband, friends, and family.

A graveside funeral service for the immediate family will be held at the Holy Cross cemetery on Keebler Street on Thursday, April 9 at 1 PM. Memorials may be sent to Holy Cross Lutheran Church, 304 South Street, Collinsville IL 62234; Collinsville Township Senior Center, 304 East Main, or Got Your Six Support Dogs, P.O. Box 407, Belt Line Road #352, Collinsville IL.