Kitty Black

Kitty Black, 95, of Silvis passed away peacefully Monday, November 4, 2024 at Illini Restorative Care Center in Silvis. 

Funeral services will be 11:00am Thursday at Schroder Mortuary in Silvis with visitation 1 hour prior to service time. Burial will follow at Greenview Memorial Gardens in East Moline. Memorials may be made to St. Jude’s Children’s Research Hospital. 

There was and will always be, only one Kitty Black. She peacefully drew her final breath on earth this morning at Illini Restorative Care and is now in the loving arms of our Dad after waiting 52 years for his embrace. 

Kitty was born in Oklahoma on Oct. 1, 1929 to Frank & Sally (Horbell) Geldreich but spent the first 17 years of her life in Riverside, California. The confetti is still dropping and the cake is still fresh from celebrating her surprise 95th birthday just 5 weeks ago. She was raised with 5 siblings on what the family has lovingly referred to over the years as "the ranch". 

Kitty met the love of her life, Dewain J. Black, in San Diego when he was serving in the Navy & knew it was love everlasting, so they eloped to Yuma Arizona to seal the deal on May 9th 1947. Over the years, they raised two daughters, Terry and Judy. Kitty became a caregiver for the children of many QCA families. Although it was a shock that fell on heavy hearts when Dewain suddenly passed away in 1972 of a heart attack, the memory of their surprise 25th wedding anniversary celebration just 5 months prior carried everyone through the grief. 

Kitty then became an award-winning salesperson for Younkers at SouthPark Mall for 10 years. Not one to sit home after retirement from Younkers, she then spent the next 15 years in the misses clothing department at Sears - again achieving high sales honors!

Throughout the years, she took up many hobbies like photography which not only filled her time but also the unused rooms in her home. Realizing the need to divert her attention to less space-consuming talents, she became interested in entering contests. This hobby turned out to be her most lucrative, winning money, trips, furniture, food, movie passes and even a car without a floorboard! After Dewain passed, she later married Harry Adams on August 7, 2000. He too preceded her in death. 

Kitty is survived by her daughters, Terry (Pete) Segura of Silvis, Judy (Ron) Jordan of Coal Valley, grandchildren· Kathi Workheiser, Chad (Hally) Mattan, Trisha (Sheldon) Almeida as well as great􀁪grandchildren, Alexandria (Chris) Cameron, Michael Nalepa, Tyvan (Masy) Workheiser, Taylor (Dylan) Kyser, Kaiya Almeida, Kaydan Almeida, Kieran Almeida & great-great-grandchildren Jaxson Kyser and Chloe Kyser. 

She was preceded in death by her husbands, Dewain Black & Harry Adams and 3 siblings.