Sara Katherine VanGilder

Sara Katherine Morris VanGilder, 85, passed away peacefully on December 18, 2025, at Angel Medical Center in Franklin, North Carolina. Kathy, as she liked to be called, was born in Marion County, West Virginia on May 15, 1940. Her parents were Louis Winfield Morris and Lenora Virgina Sloan Morris. Kathy attended Quiet Dell School and was a member of the Quite Dell Baptist Church. She later attended East Fairmont High School and graduated in 1958. After high school, she married Kenneth Merl VanGilder on March 10, 1960, and had two children. In 1967 the family relocated to Florida where Kathy lived until 2023. Along with being a full-time mom and homemaker, she also worked many years as an electrical technician for McDonnell Douglas in Titusville, Florida and then worked at the Kennedy Space Center Visitors Complex until she retired. After retirement, Kathy was a long-time volunteer at Parrish Medical Center in Titusville and a volunteer for the Alzheimer's Association. Kathy loved reading, working jigsaw puzzles, coloring, shopping, watching TV gameshows and cherishing time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Kathy was preceded in death by her brother Fred Morris. She is survived by her sisters, Shirley Cain and Joan Coffman, and her brother Larry Morris. She is survived by her two sons, Richard Merl VanGilder and Ronald Dale VanGilder, and her five grandchildren: Mary, Mandy, Ricky, Sammie and Lacey, and two step-grandchildren: Jeff and Kaitie, and her 13 great-grandchildren. Kathy will be remembered for her kindness, caring and unconditional love for her family. She will be deeply missed by all those whose lives she touched. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Alzheimer's Association. Friends and family are invited to the North Brevard Funeral Home in Titusville on Saturday, January 3, 2026. Viewing will begin at 1pm followed by services at 2pm and a short graveside service at Oaklawn Memorial Gardens.