Katherine (Wells) Szyszka

Katherine Renee Szyszka (nee Wells)

Katherine was born on Thursday, November 6, 1997, in Decatur, Illinois to Peter and Karen Wells.  She was immediately followed in birth by her twin sister, Christina.  She departed from life on Thursday, March 27, 2025.

In 1999, Katherine and her family moved to Williamsville, Illinois, which would be her home for most of her life.  While growing up in Williamsville, she participated in 4-H and played clarinet in the Sangamon Valley Youth Symphony.  One of her great passions in life was Irish dance, and over time she performed with, and competed for, several different schools and academies, including the Ogilvy Studio (Springfield), Central Illinois Irish (Springfield), St. Louis Irish Arts, and the Flynn School (Peoria).

Katherine completed high school at Alpha Omega Academy, graduating in 2016.  She graduated Summa Cum Laude with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Methodist College in 2021, where she had been inducted into Phi Kappa Phi in 2019.

After graduating, she worked for Carle Health from 2021 through 2025, where she first worked as a pediatric nurse and then as a nurse in the emergency room of Proctor Hospital.

In 2023, she married Roman Wade Szyszka and gave birth to daughter Olivia Grace.  They resided in Peoria Heights before moving to Metamora.  They attended Crossroads Global Methodist Church in Washington.

Katherine is survived by her husband Roman and daughter Olivia of Metamora, Illinois; parents Peter and Karen Wells of Williamsville, Illinois; sister Christina Wells of Grand Rapids, Michigan; brother Ethan Wells of Arcola, Illinois; and numerous extended family members.

A visitation is scheduled for Saturday, April 12, 2025, from 1 PM until 4 PM at Crossroads Global Methodist Church in Washington. Following the visitation, a funeral service will be held at the church at 4 pm.  Inurnment at the church columbarium will privately take place at a later date. In lieu of flowers, the family ask that memorials be given to the "Katherine Szyszka Memorial Fund at Washington Community Bank . Mason-White Funeral Home in Washington is handling the arrangements.