Marilee A. (Ulery) Kilbert

Marilee A. Kilbert, age 92, of Charlotte, formerly of Elkhart passed away peacefully on Thursday, November 19, 2020 at Sparrow Hospital in Lansing, Michigan. Marilee was born on September 3, 1928 (Labor Day!) in Elkhart to Calvin and Ruth Ulery. She married Howard J. Kilbert on August 9, 1947 at Grace Lutheran Church in Elkhart.
Marilee graduated from Elkhart High School where she was a class officer, helping each year with reunion planning. She worked for many years as a nurse’s assistant for the Elkhart Community Schools and for Whitehall Laboratories. She faithfully volunteered for decades at Elkhart General Hospital Emergency Room on Friday evenings and for 60 years was a regular volunteer and instructor of CPR and First Aid Classes for The American Red Cross. Marilee was proud of her EMT certification and happily spent many summers as camp nurse at Singing Hills Girl Scouts Camp. She was a faithful member of Grace Lutheran Church in Elkhart and the William Tuffs Chapter of the National Society of Daughters of the American Revolution (NSDAR).
Marilee will be greatly missed by her children: Barbara (Scott) Myckowiak of Charlotte, Patricia (Bob) Grimm of Middlebury, Ind., Nancy (Dave) Holderread of Lansing, Mich., and Linda Kilbert of Bargersville, Ind.; four grandchildren: Bob Deaton, Jim (Hannah) Holderread, Jon Holderread, and Becca (Caleb) Hubble; five great-grandchildren; and her brother, Herbert (Joan) Ulery Sr. of Middlebury, Ind. She was preceded in death by her husband, Howard in 2002 and her son, Jim in 1972.
Marilee lived in Elkhart almost all her life. She loved living there and missed it greatly when she relocated to Michigan in her last few years. She spent many fun-filled days at the family cottage at nearby Stone Lake. She was a great cook and showed her love by cooking wonderful meals for her family. Pies were her specialty and she traditionally made several for Thanksgiving dinner, including her famous Peanut Pie. She also was able to accurately recreate her mother’s famous sugar cookies and shared them often. As family gathered around the table for grace before her special meals, it was almost inevitable that Marilee would realize the rolls or some other dish was left behind in the kitchen. Her standard comment “Let’s pray and then I’ll get it” has become legend in the family. Marilee shared her family’s fondness for popcorn and enjoyed it frequently. Until her decline in recent years, she was an avid seamstress and quilter, gifting many family members with her handiwork. She was a tenacious genealogist, digging deep to find family connections and lineage. She loved to travel and after retirement enjoyed many special trips with Howard or her daughters. Marilee’s generous spirit and loving care will be missed by those who knew and loved her. We are comforted by the knowledge that she is now in heaven, free from pain and confusion, and joyfully reunited with Howard and Jim and others who have gone before her.
Due to COVID-19 there will be no public service at this time. Stemm- Lawson-Peterson Funeral Home, 1531 Cobblestone Blvd., Elkhart IN 46514 is handling the arrangements. A private service will be held for the immediate family with burial following at Rice Cemetery. In lieu of flowers please make donations in Marilee’s honor to Grace Lutheran Church, 831 West Marion Street, Elkhart, IN 46516, American Red Cross, 1123 South Indiana Avenue, Goshen, IN 46526, or William Tuffs Chapter NSDAR, c/o Treasurer Stephanie Wright, 22532 Winchester Drive, Elkhart, IN 46514.