A Celebration of Life for Kathy Marcia Morrow Spurlock will be held Tuesday, September 14, 2021, from 1:00 PM until 2:00 PM at Kilpatrick Funeral Home, Monroe, LA. The ceremony honoring her life will commence at 2:00 PM.

Kathy died September 10, 2021 in her home in Monroe, Louisiana after a long illness. She was born June 8, 1953 in Fort Worth, Texas to Urban and Ruby Morrow, who preceded her in death. She is survived by her husband Lindsey Wilkerson, daughter Anne Perrone and her husband Jeff, and their children Kaylin and Grant.

Kathy was a Louisiana Tech University graduate, started her career at The News-Star in 1975 after interning at The Times in Shreveport and was promoted to various midlevel editor positions in the news departments of both The News-Star and the former Monroe Morning World.

She had two stints at The News-Star, including 21 years as the newspaper’s Executive Editor when she retired in 2016. She added general manager to her title in 2014.

She was also active in the community as a past chair of the Twin City Art Foundation Board of Trustees and a member of the board of directors of the United Way of Northeast Louisiana.

Kathy also served in various capacities on the boards of the Public Affairs Research Council, Strauss Theatre, Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana, Salvation Army and Med Camps of Louisiana, as well as in advisory capacities for the Junior League of Monroe and the Monroe Chamber of Commerce.

She served as a past president of the Louisiana/Mississippi APME board of directors and chair of the Louisiana Press Association’s Freedom of Information Committee and on the national board of the American Society of News Editors.

Kathy was recognized in 2002 as a Distinguished Alumnus of Louisiana Tech’s College of Liberal Arts.

More importantly, Kathy mentored all her newsroom staff, young and old alike. Her home was always open to her newsroom staff on Thanksgiving or for celebrations of newsroom awards where the fun lasted into the night, often ending with newsroom staff karaoke competitions, most of it bad.

A classically trained pianist, she was also a songwriter, the executive producer for the locally produced movie “Cowboy and Indiana,” and published a novella in 2017.

Kathy loved gardening and fishing, particularly trout fishing. She loved to fish on Arkansas’ White River at Rainbow Drive Resort. She and Lindsey were married during a White River trout fishing trip, and later that day, she caught a trophy brown trout. She loved to brag she caught two trophies that day!

Her biggest accomplishment was her family. She would say that having Anne “was the best work I ever did,” and she dearly loved her grandchildren Kaylin and Grant.

Kathy made her world and community a better place and made a difference in so many lives. The world today desperately needs more Kathys.

In lieu of flowers, Kathy would love to have you support SOS Pets of Ouachita or The Food Bank of Northeast Louisiana.

Kilpatrick Funeral Home

Monroe, LA