LEESBURG, Fla. — Kay Turner Derdeyn, Vicksburg native and longtime resident of Richmond, Ill., died Nov. 7, in Leesburg, Fla., after a long illness. She was 82.

Born Jan. 16, 1935, in Vicksburg, she was the only child of Thomas Lester and Mary Ellen (Powell) Turner.

A 1953 graduate of Carr Central High School, she attended the University of Southern Mississippi.

In 1957, she married Eugene Derdeyn of Natchez and moved to the Chicago area, where she lived until his death in 1993.

In 1995, Kay married Walter (Wally) Schilling in Kenosha, Wis., and moved to Leesburg shortly after.

She is survived by Mr. Schilling and her two children, David (Liliana) Derdeyn of Los Angeles and Denise (Joe Fonk) Derdeyn of Kenosha, Wis.

Kay’s life was marked by a commitment to education and her community.

She attended the University of Southern Mississippi, Mundelein College in Ill., and received an associate degree from McHenry County College in 1986.  Her certificate in secretarial science in 1955 gave her skills in shorthand, which she used as a McHenry County and Richmond Gazette employee, a member of the Richmond Village Board, the recording secretary for the Highland Lakes (Leesburg) resident council and for the Mary Ellen Robertson Chapter of the Daughters of the American Revolution. Kay was elected Richmond Village Clerk in 1993 and served until her move to Kenosha.

She was proud of becoming a Florida Master Gardener in 2003. She also served as the secretary for the Master Gardener Society in 2003.

The family would like to thank the staffs of Lake Harris Health Center and Compassionate Care for their care and dedication to “Miss Kay” in her final days.