Kathleen Mae "Kathy" Vawter (80) of Newton

Kathleen Mae “Kathy” Vawter, age 80, of Newton, Illinois, passed away at 2:17 AM Wednesday, December 21, 2022, at Helia Healthcare in Newton, Illinois.    

Funeral services celebrating Kathy’s life will be held at 11:00 AM – Saturday, December 31, at the Meyer Funeral Home in Newton, Illinois, with Rick Britton officiating.  Burial will be in the Westlawn Memorial Park Cemetery in Newton, Illinois.  Visitation will be held 1 hour before the service.  Following the burial there will be a meal in memory of Kathy, held at the Veterans of Foreign Wars in Newton.  In loving memory of Kathy, memorials may be made to the Meyer Funeral Home, 307 West Jourdan Street Newton, Illinois 62448.  The obituary can be viewed, and condolences left at by clicking here. 

Kathleen Mae, better know to her family and friends as “Kathy” was born on July 5, 1942, in Chester, Illinois, the daughter of Elwin Fred “Butch” and Ina Olive (Lawder) Schroeder.  She married Manford L. Vawter, on February 21, 1975, and he preceded her in death on January 4, 1984.

Kathy graduated from Chester High School with the Class of 1958.  Kathy worked for Richard’s Firestone in Newton for several years as housekeeper and had worked at Newton Rest Haven.  She also worked at the Jasper County Fair and Newton Fall Festival for several years.

In later years Kathy was always willing to lend a hand to those in need.  She volunteered at Red Cross blood drives in Newton and helped with steak dinners at the Jasper Post #20 American Legion.

Kathy loved to decorate her little house for each holiday, especially Christmas.  She also enjoyed cooking and always shared with others, maybe it was a cheese ball or her famous Easter bunny cakes.  She loved to set outside in her yard and visit with friends and neighbors. 

Kathy never had a drivers license, but you could see her all over town in years past on her 3-wheel bicycle, she called “Betsy”.  

Kathy is survived by:

Children – Richard (Julie) Beebe of Toledo, Illinois and Andrea Fain of Champaign, Illinois

Grandchildren – Jill (Tarina) Winters, Ryan Beebe and Andrew Fain

several special friends and caregivers also survive

Kathy was preceded in death by her parents, husband, brother Albert Schroeder and a sister Pauline Dickerson.