Kaye Filkin, age 81, a resident of Wheaton, passed away on Monday, September 19, 2022.  She was born September 21, 1940 in Grand Rapids, MI to Jack and Dorothy Sonneveldt.

Kaye's passion for sports and music was surpassed only by her love for Jesus, family, and Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church. Her parents, Jack and Dorothy Sonneveldt, enabled her to engage athletically and pursue music, while modeling God's great love, fueling the fires for her lifetime pursuits. Kaye graduated from Union High School in Grand Rapids, MI, in 1958, and received her music degree from Wheaton College in 1962. College brought both joy as she married Wally Filkin on September 2, 1961, and sorrow when her mother passed away on May 17, 1962.

Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church cared for and discipled this young couple as Wally and Kaye found a home to use their gifts - basketball for Wally and evangelism for Kaye. They made deep and lasting friendships at church. Almost immediately, Kaye and Barb Martin met each week for prayer and coffee, praying for children (even yet to be born) and praying for their church and the lost. As Wally began his career, Kaye raised their sons, David and Eric, shuttling them to swim, football, tennis and soccer practices, music lessons, and church events. At church, she served in a variety of ministries including the choir, High League, and on various boards and committees. She helped start Jonathan's Kids, a ministry to families with special needs' children. She established and directed a teen singing group called Wayfolk, that performed regularly at church and in the greater Wheaton area, and went on several mission trips to Jamaica and Mexico. Many young people's lives were changed through Wayfolk, and they experienced Christ's love through Kaye's leadership. Kaye was also an integral part of Glen Ellyn Covenant's Worship Team.

Kaye also began many Bible study groups outside of church with friends from the Fairwind swim club, the SportCenter tennis team, the Chicago Golf Club, and Monte Christo Condominiums in Key Colony Beach, FL. Over and over, Kaye led her friends into a relationship with Jesus by gathering around God's word.

From 1981-1983 Kaye coached the Wheaton College Women's Varsity Tennis team, leading her team to third place in the nation. She was very proud to be inducted with her team into Wheaton College's Sports Hall of Honor.

As her sons finished school, Kaye pursued her own education, taking graduate-level classes in ethnomusicology and ultimately graduating from Wheaton College with a Master of Arts Degree in Psychology. She then began her career in family therapy with Wheaton Youth Outreach, caring for and bringing transformation to some of the lost and least in the greater Wheaton area.

Kaye was active in the Wheaton College Alumni Association, Missionary Furlough Homes, and Soli Deo Gloria, which commissions new classical and religious music.

After her beloved Wally died in 2012, Kaye married Dr. Richard Gieser, who enabled her to engage in all sorts of music and travel around the world, many times with her grandchildren, to such exotic locales and experiences as Mongolia, Sudan, biking in the Netherlands, boating in Galapagos Islands, New Zealand, India and paddling the Boundary Waters.

Through it all her love of sports, music, Jesus and Glen Ellyn Covenant Church never dimmed.

She is survived by her husband, Dr. Richard G. Gieser; her two sons, David (Susan) Filkin of Highwood, IL, and the Rev. Eric (Carissa) Filkin of Tavares, FL; her grandchildren Tom (Michaela), Cailee, Keegan, Maggie, Cal, Teddy, Mimi, and Lina; her sisters Sherry (Dan) Everest, Jan (John) Phipps, her half-brothers, Jon (Lynel) Sonneveldt, Lance (Jamie) Sonneveldt, and half-sister Robyn (Keith) Brodie, and lots of nieces and nephews, step-children, and step-grandchildren, and friends too numerous to count.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Walter W. Filkin III, her parents, Jack and Dorothy Sonneveldt, and her step-mother Carol Sonneveldt.

A visitation will be held at Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church, 277 Hawthorne Blvd, Glen Ellyn, IL 60137, on Saturday, September 24, 2022, from 12:00 until the time of the memorial service at 1:00 p.m. A livestream of the service will be available here: Memorial Service for Kaye Filkin

Memorial gifts may be directed to Glen Ellyn Evangelical Covenant Church or Missionary Furlough Homes.