Obituary: Kaylin Gillis ‘lit up any room she was in’

There will be a celebration of life for Kaylin Gillis on Friday.

We’ve been sharing the impact this young woman had on her community and beyond. We continue to learn more about Kaylin Gillis from a beautiful and touching obituary written for her.

Kaylin A. Gillis was the glue of her family. The oldest of three daughters, she turned 20 two months ago.
Family was always number one. The touching obituary says she never missed a Sunday dinner at Mi Mi’s.

Kaylin loved tacos, cheeseburgers and ice cream.

Kaylin was a Disney fanatic. She knew every movie hero and princess. Her favorite characters were Mickey Mouse and Stitch.

Kaylin’s father, Andrew Gillis, shared some words about his beautiful daughter on Wednesday.

“She was so smart. She was so smart, kind, loving. She had so many friends. The outreach from everyone around the world has been incredible,” he said.

She wanted to be a veterinarian or a marine biologist. She loved animals. Goats and dolphins were her favorite.

Kaylin was an avid artist. Her artwork is still on display at Schuylerville High School two years after she graduated.

“I’m sure you’ve seen that picture so many times,” Superintendent Gregg Barthelmas said Tuesday, “and that speaks to her, the love in her face, the picture of her with the two dogs. That’s kind of how she demonstrated herself to the school community and with her peers.”

Kaylin lit up every room. It was part of her natural instinct to always do the next right thing.

“Kaylin deserves to have her story told,” her father said, “and what a beautiful person she was and how many people loved her.”

The family asks, in lieu of flowers, donations to your local ASPCA or to the GoFundMe page set up to create a scholarship in memory of Kaylin.