Kathleen Perry, an accomplished nurse and health care advocate who led the Illinois Nurses Association before undertaking a variety of philanthropic and civic efforts across the Chicagoland area, died on January 17. She was 75.
Kathleen was critically injured when a pickup truck struck her in a crosswalk near her home in River Forest. She was rushed to Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, where she died soon after, surrounded by family members. As a practicing nurse, Kathleen, known to friends and family as Kathy, spent decades treating patients at local Veterans Administration hospitals. With a doctorate in nursing, Kathy rose to become chair of the Geriatrics and Extended Care Performance Improvement Council at the Edward Hines, Jr. V.A. Hospital. She was also an advocate for her fellow nurses. After being elected president of the nurses association — a union with thousands of members across the state — Kathy helped to recruit and train a new generation of nurses. And she forged ties with political leaders in Springfield, where her group lobbied to address a nursing shortage plaguing the healthcare industry. A string of legislative victories ensued, and in 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times named her as “one of the 10 most powerful women in health care.” A year later, when state lawmakers approved a half-dozen health care-related bills, many of them aimed at reducing the shortage of nurses, she trumpeted what she called an “incredibly successful year for nursing.” Kathy was a Renaissance woman, her family recalled, citing her passion not only for medicine and science but music and the arts as well. She traveled to more than a dozen countries around the world, was a hobbyist photographer and volunteered for the Chicago Saints, a nonprofit group that deploys ushers to theaters in the area. Even after retiring from nursing, she continued to provide healthcare to family, friends and neighbors, routinely taking their blood pressure, picking up their medicine and referring them to doctors. “Dr. Perry was a dedicated advocate for nursing,” the American Nurses Association Illinois, one of the successor groups to the Illinois Nurses Association, said in a statement announcing her death. “Her contributions to healthcare and nursing practice have left an indelible mark on our community.” Kathleen Marie Monica Perry was born on June 7, 1949, in Chicago. Her father, William Perry, was an accountant for the Chicago Yacht Club. Her mother, Ruth, a longtime office worker, became a homemaker before Kathy and her twin, Mary, were born. They were the eldest of five girls in a working class Catholic family that lived on the West Side of Chicago, in what is now known as the Humboldt Park neighborhood. The family remained there even as friends and neighbors decamped to the suburbs – and despite a tragic incident in their parish. In December 1958, while in the fourth grade, Kathy and Mary survived a deadly fire at their school, Our Lady of the Angels, that killed three nuns and 92 children. Their sister Margaret also survived, but the victims included their cousin, Carolyn Perry, a fifth grader. The incident devastated the Perry family – as well as the broader parish community – and swung a spotlight on fire safety in schools nationwide, laying the groundwork for a number of reforms. The Perry girls continued their schooling at Our Lady of the Angels, though for a year, the Archdiocese of Chicago rented space within local public schools. In September 1960, the students returned to a modern, fire safe school. As a teenager, Kathy was an avid learner, but a reluctant student. After school, she would play the piano and read the newspaper, often postponing her homework until the bus ride to school the next day, much to her mother’s dismay. Kathy had not always planned to be a nurse; instead, her initial career interest was fashion design, which arose from a home economics class at St. Mary High School. She designed and sewed her own coat for the class, developing a hobby that continued into adulthood. Her career interests shifted to nursing after she and Mary, at their mother’s insistence, volunteered in high school as candy stripers at St. Ann’s Hospital. Later, during weekends and summers, they worked as nurses’ aides. Inspired by the experience, Kathy earned her Bachelor's degree in nursing from DePaul University, a Master’s degree in nursing from Rush University and a Ph.D. in nursing science from the University of Illinois at Chicago, where her dissertation focused on heart failure. She conducted her doctoral studies while working full time as a nurse. Kathy began her career at the Rehabilitation Institute of Chicago, and worked for the Visiting Nurses Association of Chicago for nearly a decade. But she spent the bulk of her career caring for one of the city’s most vulnerable populations: military veterans. For more than 30 years, she worked for V.A. hospitals, first in Chicago, and then at Hines. With a focus on elderly patients, and clinical expertise in chronic illness and heart disease, she investigated and developed intervention plans for those suffering from heart failure. Kathy was also active in the West Side V.A. union, fueled by her commitment to improving health care for veterans, according to her friend and former colleague, Ann Henrick. She marched with other nurses and doctors outside the U.S. Capitol in Washington to demand additional resources to provide that care, Henrick said. At Hines, Kathy became a performance improvement specialist, a role that led her to implement system-wide quality-control upgrades and educate other nurses. Education was a focal point for Kathy, who believed that aspiring nurses should have to earn a bachelor’s degree. As president of the Chicago Nurses Association in the early 2000s – and later the Illinois Nurses Association – she advocated for imposing that requirement. While that policy remained unchanged, the state association helped push through other legislation to educate and train nurses as the state faced a nursing shortage, victories that defined Kathy’s four-year tenure atop the group. In 2006, Illinois lawmakers adopted new legislation to recruit and train nurses, including by increasing the ranks of teachers and making it more affordable to attend nursing school. The changes included new grants, scholarships and a loan repayment program. The nursing association, Kathy said at the time, “has worked hard to demonstrate that an investment in the nursing profession is an investment that will produce positive health dividends for the citizens of Illinois." After retiring in 2013, Kathy traveled to China, Argentina, Thailand, Puerto Rico and across the United States and Europe. In Chicago, she joined Northwestern University’s Osher Lifelong Learning Institute, where she took a number of classes, most recently on documentaries. A devoted PBS watcher and New York Times reader, she frequented the theater, too. Her role with the Chicago Saints allowed her to see performances at the Goodman Theatre, Steppenwolf Theatre Company, the Chicago Symphony Orchestra and various local community theatres. A lover of all things Elvis Presley, she decorated part of her home with photos of the King of Rock and Roll. She even had an Elvis-themed clock and a sign that asked: "What Would Elvis Do?" Kathy also had a passion for social justice. She marched in support of the Equal Rights Amendment, which would guarantee equality for women in all facets of life. She was an active member of the Illinois League of Women Voters. And she belonged to the group Mothers and Others for Peace. Although she did not have children of her own, Kathy doted on her nine nieces and nephews, as well as their children. And she mentored children on the West Side of Chicago through Old St. Patrick's Church, her parish for many years. A lifelong Chicagoan, Kathy spent the last 16 plus years living in River Forest, where she was a leader of the local library’s book club and served on the board of her condominium association. She also acted as the condo building’s de facto nurse, caring for some of her elderly and homebound neighbors and pressing them to address their nagging health issues. “Kathy was magnanimous in sharing her brilliant mind and caring heart with anyone and everyone who needed her,” Mary said, adding that, “While we were very different in most aspects of our professional and personal lives, we were singular in our love and devotion to each other.” Kathy is survived by her sisters Mary (late Kenneth) Perry Bates, Margaret (William Jr.) Perry Bradley, Joan (David) Protess and Charlotte Perry; as well as her nieces and nephews Kenny, Mary Denise (DeShaun), William III, Kathryn (Jason), Daniel (Emily), Benjamin (Amanda), Sarah, Andrea (Nick) and Michael; great-aunt of Ella, Harrison, Lorelei, Kason and Cadence; “special sister” of Denise (late Don) Welter and Sandra (Allen) Ericksen; cousin and friend of many. She was preceded in death by her parents William and Ruth Perry. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Old St. Patrick's Church Office of Development Father Jack Wall Mission Center 711 West Monroe Street Chicago, Il 60661, or to the charity of your choice. Family and friends are welcome to visit at the Conboy-Westchester Funeral Home, 10501 W. Cermak Rd., Westchester, on Saturday, February 8, 2025 from 1:00 p.m. until 3 p.m. At 3 p.m, all are welcome to join the Celebration of Life Service, which will be livestreamed as well at https://www.memorialslive.com/services.php?id=Perry