Kathleen "Kathy" Franciscus Forster (née Gleeson)

Forster, Kathleen "Kathy" Franciscus (née Gleeson), baptized into the hope of Christ's resurrection, Monday, October 12, 2026 at the age of 77.

Loving mother of Christine (John) Mathews, Jean (Jeffrey) Eichacker and Mark (Daphne Cardenas) Forster; dear grandmother of Sarah Mathews, the late Zachary Mathews, Lillian (fiancé William Michel) Mathews, Abigail Eichacker, Cameron Eichacker, Emma Forster, Jackson Forster and Olivia Forster; daughter of the late T. Paul Gleeson, Jr. and the late Mary Franciscus Gleeson; sister of the late Tom Gleeson, John (Cindy Weikel) Gleeson, the late Andy Gleeson, and Barry (Ann Corley) Gleeson; loving aunt, cousin, and friend to many.

A Beautiful Life: Kathy had a kind heart and a deep passion for the things that mattered most to her: her career, her family, her children, her grandchildren, and her friends. She loved fiercely and was always ready to protect the people she held dear. If there was a need and she had the ability to fill it, she did. Caring for others was more than her profession; it was simply who Kathy was.

For 40 years, Kathy dedicated herself to nursing, primarily in the Intensive Care Unit (ICU), as well as Medical-Surgical nursing. Her commitment to her profession led her to earn her Master’s degree in Nursing and later to take on an important role in transitioning nursing documentation from paper charting to the Epic electronic medical record system. As part of the Epic IT Team, she contributed at every stage of the process, from development and troubleshooting to training and implementation. Kathy worked to ensure the system met the needs of the healthcare professionals who would depend on it every day, leaving her mark on the profession in a way that extended far beyond her own patient care.

In the final years of her life, vascular dementia gradually took pieces of Kathy from herself and her loved ones. For someone so fiercely independent, this was an especially difficult journey. Though the disease changed so much, it cannot erase the life she lived, the people she loved, or the countless ways she showed up for those who needed her. Her compassion, strength, dedication, and unwavering instinct to care for and protect her loved ones will remain part of her legacy.

Services: Visitation at the SCHRADER Funeral Home and Crematory, 14960 Manchester Road at Holloway, Ballwin on Thursday, October 29, 2026 from 4-7 p.m.

Funeral Mass at Our Lady of Lourdes Catholic Church, 7148 Forsyth Blvd., University City on Friday, October 30, 2026 at 10:00 a.m. followed by interment at Calvary Cemetery.

If desired, contributions may be made to St. Louis de Greeff Hospice House. Friends may sign the family’s on-line guestbook at Schrader.com.