Catherine "Katie" Margaret Kilburg

Catherine “Katie” Margaret Kilburg, age 95, passed away on May 3, 2026, in her home, in Preston, IA. A funeral Mass will be held at St. Joseph Catholic Church, in Preston, on Friday, May 8, at 11 a.m. Visitation will be held at the church prior to Mass, from 9 a.m. to 10:45 a.m. Burial will follow at St. Joseph Catholic Cemetery, in Sugar Creek, IA. Katie’s family wishes to acknowledge the wonderful care she received from Hospice of Jackson County.

Katie was born on May 7, 1930, in Sugar Creek, IA, to Peter and Katharina (Banowetz) Reuter. On May 8, 1951, she married Earl Kilburg at St. Joseph Catholic Church in Sugar Creek. They celebrated nearly 70 years of marriage before his passing in 2021.

Katie was a long-time member of St. Joseph Catholic Church in Preston, where she enjoyed singing in the church choir (as well as at Sugar Creek). She also served as treasurer for the Preston Fireman’s Auxiliary, and Luxembourg Society of Iowa, respectively.

Family was everything to Katie, and she especially loved spending time with her children, grandchildren, and great grandchildren. Blessed with a green thumb, she kept lovely flower gardens and spent years working at Kelly’s Greenhouse.

Katie is survived by her son, Martin (Kay) Kilburg, of Maquoketa, IA; daughter, Marjorie (Steve) Beekman, of Warsaw, IL; three grandchildren, Matthew (Samantha) Kilburg, of Maquoketa, Tabitha (Tyler) Eatock, of Slater, IA, and Nathan (Kaitlyn) Beekman, of Littleton, CO; great grandchildren, Josie, Brynlee, Cael, Journey, Wells, Zoey, Kaylee, Kiley, and Carter; sister, Joan (Gene) Gerardy; brother, Richard Reuter; sisters-in-law, Naomi Reuter, Jean Kilburg, Janis Kilburg, Vera (Levi) Schmidt, and Dula (Leon) Tebbe.

Katie is preceded in death by her parents, Peter and Katharina; husband, Earl; sisters, Elizabeth (Ben) Frett, Laurentia (Ben) Roling, Dorothy (Ambrose) Roling, Mary (Albert) Kilburg, Bertha Reuter, Theresa (Tom) Hansen, and Peggy Reuter; brothers, Ben (Rita) Reuter, Vernard (Louise) Reuter, Wilfred Reuter, Michael (Edna) Reuter, and Julius (Mary) Reuter; brothers-in-law and sisters-in-law, Alvin (Estell) Kilburg, Albert (Mary) Kilburg, Vernon Kilburg, Rita (Ray) Roling, Marcella (Paul) Banowetz, Edna (Michael) Reuter, Lloyd (Monica) Kilburg, Kenneth Kilburg, Leo Kilburg, and Vincent (Judy) Kilburg.