Kathleen Mae Billiel

1933 - 2024

Kathleen Mae Billiel

Greenfield, MA - Kathleen Mae Billiel passed away peacefully Saturday evening, November 16, 2024 at RegalCare at Greenfield surrounded by her family. She is now reunited with her loved ones that have passed on before her and lives in her heavenly home with the angels for eternity. Kathleen was known as Kay by her family and friends. Kay faced each day with a positive attitude and was typically seen smiling. Kay was very outgoing and easy to get along with, and was well liked by all that came to know her.

Kathleen Mae (Gould) Billiel was born on January 24, 1933 to Katherine M. (Wilder) Gould and Gardner L. Gould. Kay was one of five children growing up on a small farm in Buckland. She attended local schools and graduated from Arms Academy in Shelburne Falls. It was in high school that Kay met the love of her life, Donald A. Billiel.

Don and Kay got married on June 28, 1952. They bought a house on Martin Road in Buckland and raised four children. Although Kay held a few jobs over the years, her primary job was a homemaker, and taking care of children. Besides her own children, Kay provided childcare and helped raise her grandchildren, as well as several neighborhood children. She had a lot of patience, prepared lots of lunches, bandaged more than one cut knee, washed many dirty hands and faces, and gave out lots of hugs.

Kay was a member of the First Congregational Church of Buckland, more commonly known as the Mary Lyon Church, and was a very active participant in her younger years. She served as a Deaconess and worked on the Work Committee helping to put on dinners. She chopped many heads of cabbage by hand making the coleslaw, and popped and bagged lots of popcorn for the band concerts, as well as baking for bake sales.

Kay had many hobbies, and her hands were always busy doing something. She loved sewing, knitting, and crocheting, everything from fine doilies to a menagerie of stuffed animals. She also did a beautiful job caning the chairs that Don refinished. Kay was also quite the artist and created beautiful sketches, especially of local barns and scenery. She also kept her hands busy in the kitchen. Besides preparing meals, she enjoyed cake decorating, and there was always a pie on the counter and cookies in the cookie jar. Kay really enjoyed taking long walks with Don and spending time outdoors in her yard, which she helped to maintain. She kept beautiful flower gardens and enjoyed vegetable gardening, as well. Another activity that Kay enjoyed was square dancing. She and Don were members of the Swinging Sweethearts Square Dance Club.

After Kay's dementia progressed to the stage where it was no longer possible to safely care for her at home, she became a resident at RegalCare at Greenfield. This became her home and the staff became a part of her family, and this is where she spent the last three years of her life, happy in "her own little world". She was always happy to see her husband Don arrive each morning to spend several hours with her at the nursing home and help her with her lunch, and her daughters arrive in the late afternoon or early evening to help her with her supper. Kay was happy and very content in her new environment.

Besides her parents, Kathleen was predeceased by her sister Marie, her brother Albert, and her grandson Keith. Kathleen is survived by her husband, Donald, with whom she celebrated 72 years of marriage this past June, her two daughters, Anita Upright (Charles) and Judy Willis (Paul), and her two sons, Kenneth and Norman. She leaves six grandchildren: Jennifer Lagoy (Erik), Jason Upright, Melissa Griffin (Adam), Betsey Clifford (Jim), Sarah Vasil (Matt), and Mathew Billiel. Kay also leaves four great-grandchildren, Lincoln Clifford, Sammy and Kayleigh Vasil, and Ashleigh Billiel, two sisters, Jane Tanner (Wesley), and Barbara Gould, sisters-in-law Margaret Miller, Beverly Bisson, and Lucille Billiel, and several nieces and nephews. Kay was a loving and devoted daughter, sister, wife, mother, grandmother, great-grandmother, aunt, neighbor, and friend to many.

The family would like to thank Dr. Richard Warner, and all the dedicated and hard-working nurses and CNAs on the fourth floor at RegalCare at Greenfield for all the wonderful care and compassion shown to Kay, especially in the last two weeks since she suffered a stroke and began to decline rapidly. A private graveside service took place on Wednesday, November 20th, at the Center Cemetery in Buckland with a reception following at the Mary Lyon Church. The family would also like to thank Smith-Kelleher Funeral Home for taking care of all the final arrangements. Memorial contributions may be made to the Mary Lyon Church, P.O. Box 87, Buckland, MA 01338.