Emily Kate Oess

Emily Kate Oess - March 24, 1982 – November 23, 2021

Emily Kate Oess, beloved daughter, sister and friend, passed away unexpectedly at her home in Chicago. Though the years she spent with her family and friends were far too short, her indomitable spirit filled every moment she spent on this Earth to the fullest. Her passions could not be contained and her joyous essence touched all who knew her. She constantly showed others her kind heart with her bright smile and in every day interactions – like her uncanny ability to find the perfect and most thoughtful gift for any occasion.

Emily’s thirst for knowledge followed her throughout her life. She graduated near the top of her class at Wm. Horlick High School in 2000. She then went on to earn two concurrent degrees in Sociology and Business at the University of Notre Dame, graduating magna cum laude. While at Notre Dame she also cultivated her desire to serve others through social service and liturgy. She continued her education at DePaul University, earning a Master of Science in Computer Graphics and Animation. Always wanting to share the lessons she learned, Emily became an adjunct professor in DePaul’s College of Computing and Digital Media – guiding students in graphic design. But, it wasn’t just classroom learning that interested Emily. The comprehensive and detailed research she did for everything – whether it be the latest piece of technology or the absolute best tea infuser - was meticulously thorough.

Emily’s career path reflected her incredibly diverse interests. She was a computer forensic investigator, a product analyst, a professor, a product engineer, an iOS engineer, an app developer and an animator. Plus, there was the summer she became an expert fireworks salesperson, a good representation of her daredevil spirit.

Emily’s inner-strength was well matched with her athleticism. Never one to be sidelined or pigeonholed, even as a child, Emily was just as comfortable tumbling across the floor in gymnastics as she was going toe-to-toe with the boys as the only girl on her childhood baseball team. That grit would make her a successful soccer player, champion tennis player, power lifter, rower, and runner. In recent years, she became a devoted lover of yoga and meditation. While defying gravity on her own, she again yearned to share the knowledge she acquired, developing into a teacher of the practice as well as a student.

Resilience, drive and athleticism would assist Emily in the past decade as she faced the crushing burden of health battles. As did her absolute zeal for researching every challenge she faced.

Emily’s Catholic upbringing instilled values of charity and service that she demonstrated through her entire life. She relished her mission work and volunteer experiences. She took inspiration from the time she spent with her friends in the Community of St. Paul and was warmed by their joyful approach to Gospel service. Emily always stood up for those who might not be able to speak strongly in their own defense and looked out for anyone who needed assistance. She helped facilitate groups focused on mental health and hoped to translate that into helping children and teens who had experienced trauma.

We know that everyone she touched carries a piece of Emily with them.

Emily, our Marvelous Monkey, will be tremendously missed by her parents, George and Monica Oess; her brother Jonathan Oess; her sister Andrea Oess; aunts and uncles, Julie and John Freres, Kathleen Paur, Susie Kelver, David Oess; cousins (who she thought of as siblings) Ryan, Andrew & Daniel Freres; cousins Paul, Denise and Ann Dumouchelle, Christopher Oess, Bill Kelver, Laura Vigil; along with other relatives and a huge community of friends. Emily was preceded in death by her grandparents Roy and Anne Paur, and George and Esther Oess.

A celebration of Emily’s life will be held at St. Richard Catholic Church, 1503 Grand Avenue in Racine on Thursday, December 2, 2021. Time of visitation with the family is from 10:30am until Mass begins at Noon. Masks will be required. The service will be live streamed on the Catholic Community of Central Racine’s Facebook page. To view the service online, visit Emily's page on the funeral home website, www.meredithfuneralhome.com, select visitation/services and then Live Stream. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the Narcolepsy Network (narcolepsynetwork.org) or NAMI of Racine County (www.namiracinecounty.org).