Kris was the daughter of Jan and Irv Kilgore and was born in Salt Lake City, Utah. She spent most of her childhood growing up in the Sugarhouse area of Salt Lake, with some spent in other parts of the country. She remembered some things that she saw when she lived in Baltimore, Maryland when she was five.
She graduated from Highland High School in 1974. The following year, she married Miles Lundstrom, and they had two sons, Tom and Jon. They moved around a bit, living in Rock Springs, Wyoming, and a ranch near Dugway, Utah. They eventually settled in Salt Lake. They later divorced.
She met Greg Cates at work and as they were both going through a divorce, they found some kinship. This blossomed into romance, and they were married August 19, 1992. They had many adventures together, traveling a lot and just enjoying each others company.
Kris was employed in accounting for most of her career, and worked up to accounts payable manager until she could no longer work due to the cancer. She worked very hard and was proud of the work she did. She was meticulous, detailed and accurate, chasing down every last penny.
She loved animals and had pets all her life. She leaves behind two dogs and her beloved McKenna, a birman cat.
She had several hobbies. She loved to cook and could make a gourmet meal out of virtually nothing. She was known far and wide for her chocolate chip cookies. The splash of amaretto did the trick!
She loved working in her garden and loved looking at the flowers and watching the birds and butterflies.
She also loved doing home improvement and decorating projects. She was a very talented decorator
Most of all, she loved her family. Nothing gave her more pleasure than spending time with them.
Kris is survived by her loving husband, Greg, of 27 years; her sons Tom (Steven) Lundstrom and Jon (Tracee) Lundstrom an adopted son, Ryder Cates; stepchildren Danielle Clemons and Geoffrey (Andrea) Cates. She is also survived by her parents Jan (Bill) Knibbe and Irv (Bonnie) Kilgore; brothers Karry (Claudia) Kilgore and Kevin (Sandi) Kilgore, 10 grandchildren, many nieces and nephews and friends.
A celebration of life will be held on Wednesday July 3, 2019 at 1:00pm at the Wasatch Lawn mausoleum. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the Huntsman Cancer Institute or a charity of your choice.
