Arline Kay Lovett

Arline K.“Kay” Lovett, age 86, long-time resident of Geneva, passed away Thursday, September 12, 2024 at GreenFields of Geneva surrounded by her loving family.

Kay was born November 3, 1937, in Watseka, IL, the daughter of Malcolm and Wilma (Baier) Rothgeb. She grew up on the family farm in Milford, IL along with her brothers Wayne and Terry. She attended the University of Illinois, Urbana Champaign where she met her future husband, William “Doc” Lovett. They married in Dec. 1957 and moved to Geneva, started their family and opened the Valley Animal Hospital, which they operated until Doc’s retirement in 2002.

Kay loved and took great pride in her family of three daughters, four grandchildren and three great grandchildren. She was a wonderful mother, wife, grammy, great-grammy and friend.

Kay was an enthusiastic lover of nature and the outdoors, and a strong proponent of parks and recreation for people of all abilities. She served as commissioner on the Geneva Park Board for 24 years, 1975-1999, a number of those years as president. She also served for 23 years on the Fox Valley Special Recreation Park Board. In honor of her years of service, “Kay Lovett Park” was established in Geneva’s Fisher Farms neighborhood, where it brings enjoyment to many families.

Kay was an avid traveler, having visited 49 states, as well as several European countries, Canada and New Zealand. She especially enjoyed several bus trips with the RoadRunners of the United Methodist Church. She was a long-time member of the United Methodist Church of Geneva, and active in various women’s groups throughout the years.

Kay valued her longtime friendships that incorporated her love of games and sports, including canasta, bridge and Scrabble, as well as golfing, bowling, and travel. In later years, she was an active participant in activities at GreenFields, including lifelong learning, arts & crafts, and the GreenFields Classics. And she always had a jigsaw puzzle in progress! She will be dearly missed by all who knew and loved her.

She is survived by three daughters, Patricia Lovett of Geneva, Ann (Tim) McCue of Columbia, South Carolina and Maryella Lovett Tebbe of Cincinnati, Ohio; four grandchildren, Molly (Luke) Pincelli, Madelyn (Will) Peavyhouse and Greta and Ollie Tebbe; great grandchildren Otis, Marlo, and Wade Pincelli; and brother Terry Rothgeb of Kentucky.

She was preceded in death by her husband, William W. “Doc” Lovett, her parents and her brother Wayne Rothgeb.

Visitation will be held Friday, September 27 from 12:00pm until the time of the funeral service at 3:00pm, at the Malone Funeral Home, 324 East State Street (Rt. 38) Geneva, IL with Reverend Rob Hamilton.

Burial will be held privately. 

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Geneva Park District Foundation, 710 Western Avenue Geneva, IL 60134, https://www.genevaparks.org/get-involved/  Fox Valley Special Recreation Foundation, 2121 W Indian Trail, Aurora, IL 60506 https://fvsrf.networkforgood.com/ , Parkinson’s Foundation, 200 SE 1st St, Suite 800, Miami, FL 33131 http://www.parkinson.org or a charity of the donor's choice.

For information 630-232-8233 or www.malonefh.com.

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