Kathy Perry, 75, a nurse and health care advocate who led the Illinois Nurses Association before undertaking philanthropic efforts across the Chicagoland area, died on Jan. 17, 2025. She was struck by a pickup truck in a crosswalk near her River Forest home and later died at Gottlieb Memorial Hospital, surrounded by family.
As a nurse, Kathy spent decades treating patients at local Veterans Administration hospitals. She was also an advocate for nurses. After being elected president of the nurses association, she helped recruit and train a new generation of nurses and pushed for laws to address a statewide nursing shortage.
A string of legislative victories ensued, and in 2004, the Chicago Sun-Times named her “one of the 10 most powerful women in health care.” A year later, state lawmakers approved several health care-related bills, some aimed at reducing the shortage.
“Her contributions to health care and nursing practice have left an indelible mark on our community,” the American Nurses Association Illinois said.
Kathleen Marie Monica Perry was born on June 7, 1949, in Chicago. Her father, William, was an accountant for the Chicago Yacht Club. Her mother, Ruth, an 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 on the city’s West Side.
She earned her bachelor’s degree in nursing from DePaul University, a master’s degree from Rush University and a PhD in nursing science from the University of Illinois Chicago. She spent the bulk of her career caring for one of the city’s most vulnerable populations: military veterans. With a focus on elderly patients, she developed intervention plans for those suffering from heart failure.
She was a Renaissance woman, her family recalled, citing her passion not only for science but the arts as well. She traveled to more than a dozen countries, was a hobbyist photographer, and volunteered for the Chicago Saints, a nonprofit group that deploys ushers to area theaters.
She also had a passion for social justice as an active member of the Illinois League of Women Voters and Mothers and Others for Peace.
In River Forest, she was a leader of the library’s book club and served on the board of her condominium association, while also acting as the condo building’s de facto nurse, caring for some of her elderly and homebound neighbors.
“Kathy was magnanimous in sharing her brilliant mind and caring heart with anyone and everyone who needed her,” her sister Mary said.
Kathy is survived by her sisters Mary (late Kenneth) Perry Bates, Margaret (William Jr.) Perry Bradley, Joan (David) Protess, and Charlotte Perry; her nieces and nephews, Kenny, Mary Denise (DeShaun), William III, Kathryn (Jason), Daniel (Emily), Benjamin (Amanda), Sarah, Andrea (Nick) and Michael; and her grand-nieces and –nephews, Ella, Harrison, Lorelei, Kason and Cadence.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Old St. Patrick’s Church, or a charity of your choice.