Kathryn Gillespie

Kathryn (Kay) Giles Gillespie of Pendleton Road Danville, VA died on March 20, 2020 in home hospice care at the age of 69. Kay is survived by her beloved husband of 48 years, Thomas Edmunds Gillespie. She was a loving mother, survived by daughters Rebecca Gillespie Messman and her husband David Stewart Messman of Arlington, Virginia, and Kathryn Gillespie Patterson and her husband Arthur Frank (Chip) Patterson III, of New Orleans, LA, as well as two grandchildren Grace Kathryn Messman and Davis Michael Messman. Her sisters, Ann Rowles (Rickie) and Sarah Pruette (Sam), her extended family, neighbors, co-workers, and clients were most dear to her. Kay was preceded in death by her father, Luther Melvin Giles and Mary Elizabeth Giles, both of Chatham, where Kay grew up and went to high school. A groundbreaking female entrepreneur, and one of the first Certified Pension Consultants practicing in Virginia, Kay was the founder of Gillespie and Company, a third party administration firm that served clients in the mid-Atlantic for 32 years. Following her graduation from Randolph-Macon Woman’s College in 1972 with a degree in political science, Kay continued her education at the University of North Carolina-Charlotte where she studied accounting and qualified for the designation of Certified Public Accountant. Kay served on the Education and Examination Committee of the American Society of Pension Professionals and Actuaries. Kay was a member of First Presbyterian Church where she served as a Deacon. In lieu of flowers, the family suggests memorial gifts be given to First Presbyterian Church, where a memorial service will take place at a later date when it is safe to gather.