Cathy Ryan

Wood River:

Cathleen A. (Black) Ryan, 72, passed away at 4:45pm on Monday, June 22, 2026, at Alton Memorial Hospital. She was born on January 7, 1954, in San Francisco, California, the daughter of Alvina L. (Watkins) Wilkinson of Panama City, Beach, and the late Bob Gene Black. In addition to her mom, Cathleen is survived by two sisters and a brother in law: Paula Graves of Houston, Texas, Barbara and Bruce Brewer of Worden, two brothers and sisters in law: Timothy and Tracy Wilkinson of Fairview Heights, Edward and Rhonda Wilkinson of Panama City Beach. Florida, and many nieces, nephews, and other extended family and friends.

Cathleen was formerly employed by the State of Illinois where she worked in home health as a nurse’s aide.

In addition to her dad, she was preceded in death by a sister: Christine Wilkinson Bivens.

This may be out of the “norm”, but so was Cathy; she was one of a kind, very special to all of us, and deserves more than just her name and a date printed. She was a natural-born caretaker, being the oldest of six children, she was her Momma’s helper and the best big sister anyone could’ve wished for. In true big sister fashion, she did her best to live life in neutral and be the one that each could come to through life’s sibling squabbles. She went on to make a career out of that natural desire to help people and left her mark on the hearts of countless families. Family was everything to her, and she had a very special relationship with both of her parents and her Grandma Black. She was her dad’s sidekick to his very last day, and we’d give anything to hear the two of them bicker back and forth just one more time. It was sitcom-worthy for sure! She faithfully spoke to her mom on the phone every Sunday, and they’d share the goings-on of the week and talk about their favorite game shows. There may have been a lot of miles between them, but there was no distance between their hearts. Although her Mom and Dad had divorced when she was a child, they remained close and very dear to one another. Through Cathy’s adult life, you could find the three of them together on Saturday nights, playing cards until the wee hours of the morning, sharing laughs, a few choice words at times, and comical disagreements. You’d be sure to hear her dad saying, “That’s all you ever hear is Cathy wins again”! Cathy didn’t have children of her own, but she absolutely adored her nieces and nephews across multiple generations, and it was evident by the number of pictures she had on display in her home. We can only hope she knew how special she was to them as well.

A bit more about Cathy, she was sweet, but oh so spicy, and OOH-WEE she could be foul-mouthed, and we loved her for it! She was a straight shooting tell it like it is type of person and was unapologetically genuine. She could be exceptionally crabby, but in the same moment, she’d laugh at herself about it. She wore her heart on her sleeve and loved deeply. In her younger days, she was a big fan of Elvis and Nature Boy Ric Flair. Throughout her life, she enjoyed crossword puzzles, playing cards (amongst many other games), going to bingo, watching game shows, and classic movies. She liked unicorns and cats a lot, but her absolute favorite things in life were babies, Christmas, Peeps, country music, the STL Cardinals, and PEPSI! She’ll be deeply missed by all of us, and she may physically be gone, but she’ll forever show up in subtle ways and already has. Our final note, “I’m gonna love you forever and ever, forever and ever, forever and ever, forever and ever a-a-amen”…

In accordance with her wishes, cremation rites will be accorded. A celebration of life will be held at a later date.

Online guestbook available at www.pitchfordfuneralhome.com.

Pitchford Funeral Home in Wood River is in charge of cremation arrangements.