It is with heartbreaking sorrow that we announce the death of Katherine Elizabeth Di Iulio, 28 years old, on October 18, 2024, in St. Louis, MO, from an undiagnosed heart condition. Katherine, or “Kat” as she was often called, was born in Fort Collins, CO, on March 8, 1996, and lived in Loveland and Highlands Ranch, CO, before moving at the age of 6 years to Shreveport, LA, where she spent her formative years. She graduated from Caddo Parish Magnet High School and subsequently attended LSU-S, Baton Rouge Community College, and LSU-BR, where she studied Food Science and Nutrition. 

        Katherine was truly one of a kind. Her dress style was distinctive and her ever-changing hair styles kept us guessing as to what color and length she’d come home with next. No one can pull off a multiple patterned outfit like she could. She loved thrifting for old clothes and accessories and could incorporate a brooch into any outfit. She even accessorized her Covid masks with beads and chains. She decorated her bedroom like that of an old lady with cross stitched flowers and colors of baby pink and off white.

        Even though Kat lived with chronic pain from fibromyalgia, she did not let it stop her from doing what she loved. Her faith was extremely important to her; she was a parishioner of St. Anthony of Padua Catholic Church where she regularly attended Mass. She cooked and baked, went to museums and the botanical garden and the zoo. She went camping with her family and friends or by herself. She foraged for wildflowers, mushrooms, and herbs. She loved lizards, bugs, spiders, and bunnies, and would have to stop to admire any she saw even if she’d already seen some earlier that same day. She really loved cats, especially her “son” Khoshekh. She was a voracious reader with endless fiction and nonfiction book recommendations. The same was true for movies. She loved David Lynch, anything with Vincent Price, and was a self-described sucker for campy movies. She loved Owl City and Sufjan Stevens. She loved the stars and the moon and used pollution light maps to find the best places to camp to see the stars from her car. 

        Kat was happiest in the kitchen. She was an extraordinary baker who loved experimenting with both design and flavor. Her baked goods were works of art as attested to by winning two First Place Awards for Cake Decorating while still in high school. She loved floral flavors and would forage for wildflowers for baked goods as well as to make jams and syrups. Kat drew inspiration mainly from Grandma Rosalie’s baking and Pop’s Cajun cooking. Her desserts at Grandma Maureen’s annual St. Patrick’s Day parties were legendary. Last year she brought a two-tiered Bailey’s Irish Coffee Buttercream Cake with rainbow–colored cake layers, Pot of Gold Chocolate Guinness Cupcakes with Jameson Caramel Buttercream Frosting, Cloud Cupcakes with Bailey’s Buttercream and Rainbow Funfetti Frosting, and Shamrock Rainbow Sugar Cookies. When her sister graduated from LSU-BR, Kat baked a marbled chamomile and lavender cake with Vincent Van Gogh’s “Irises” decorating the top and sides and then drove it to Baton Rouge from St. Louis. She also baked cakes to raise money for the Cathedral Basilica of St. Louis-King of France.

        Over the past years Katherine became increasingly impassioned about coffee and worked as a barista in several coffee shops in St. Louis. She was most recently employed at Sump Coffee where she developed 5 new drinks and 2 desserts. These included Katherine’s bread pudding adapted from a family recipe and a seasonal drink she named “Sumpkin Wicked This Way Comes” from dark chocolate ganache, spiced pumpkin puree, cayenne and chili powders, vanilla, and rum. Both of these are currently being sold by Sump Coffee in St. Louis.

        Since she was little, Kat was a giver. Instead of more entertaining computer games, she would often play on the website freerice.com, an educational website that donates rice to food insecure countries. She grew and donated her hair to Locks of Love three times. One of her more notable altruistic endeavors was her time spent in Rainbow Girls, a Masonic organization for girls. She rose through the ranks of Rainbow Girls in only a few years and was anointed the title of Grand Worthy Advisor, the highest title in the organization. She volunteered in college at the Holy Grill Feeding Program, cooking for the hungry. She donated plasma regularly, frequently roping others into joining her. Kat baked thoughtfully appropriate desserts for any special occasion in the family and for friends. Her partner Andrew recalled that she overdrew her bank account three times the month they met to give money to the homeless.

        Kat was always an advocate for the underdog. She was politically engaged, went to protests, and prioritized public health and wellness. She was not afraid to stand up for what she believed. While working at a prior job, she noticed their unfair working conditions and orchestrated a successful walkout. She was a leader, and she led with the belief that things can and should be better. She wanted to live in a world where everyone felt safe, heard, and loved, especially those with disabilities or disadvantages in life.

        Katherine was predeceased by her grandparents Lt. Col. Wildo F. Di Iulio and Dudley “Pop” and Wonette Vallot, and her uncles Stanley Brooks and Lee Riley.

        Katherine is survived by the following: her parents Brian and Susan Di Iulio, and Laurie Vallot Di Iulio Cox and Marty Cox; sister Kendall Di Iulio; stepsiblings Shelton Cox, Carter Cox (fiancée Caroline), Caroline McKee, and Matthew McKee; grandmothers Rosalie Di Iulio and Maureen Vallot; nieces Adeline and Aubree “AJ”; nephew Casey; aunts and uncles Ronald Di Iulio (Linda), Dr. Diana D. Bienvenu (Dr. Steven), Cynthia D. B. Hoflich (Daryl), Thomas Di Iulio (Kim), Anne V.G. Riley, Joseph Vallot, Jr.,  John Vallot (Paula); and cousins Anthony Di Iulio (Jennifer), Angela Di Iulio, Dr. John Bienvenu (Andrea), Ryan Bienvenu (Dana), Adrienne Brooks, Phillip Brooks, Christina D. Clements (Adam), Jeffrey Goodman (Lisa),  Ethan Goodman, Lindsey Vallot, Trey Vallot, Hunter Vallot, and Riley Vallot. She also leaves behind her cat Khoshekh whom she loved more than life itself.

        A Memorial Mass will be held at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Shreveport, LA, at 10:00 AM on Saturday November 2 with longtime family friend Reverend Philip Michiels as the celebrant who had also baptized Katherine as an infant. Visitation will occur at Savoie’s The Catering Place immediately following the Mass.

        The family wishes to thank Dr. Joseph Prahlow and Jessica Mowery of the St. Louis City Medical Examiner’s Office and especially Melissa Speight of St. Louis Cremation for their extraordinary kindness, patience, care, and compassion shown to Katherine and us. Thank you, too, to Katherine’s colleagues at Sump Coffee for sharing so many wonderful stories about her with us at the after-hours gathering they held in her memory. Being able to taste the drinks and desserts she’d developed for the shop was particularly meaningful for us.

        We wish to acknowledge and sincerely thank Katherine’s employer and Sump Coffee owner Scott Cary and his partner Marz Yamaguchi for very generously setting up a scholarship in Kat’s memory at the University of California – Davis which has a coffee program within its College of Engineering. Their gift will establish the Katherine Di Iulio Memorial Scholarship Fund in the very near future. Once it is established we will provide information through our Facebook and other social media pages detailing how to donate to her memorial scholarship fund if you are so inclined.

        In lieu of flowers please honor her memory by doing any of the following: find the courage to be your authentic self; help the homeless; listen to Owl City; watch a Vincent Price movie; over tip your barista; vote (wisely); bake a cake; play Dutch Blitz; adopt from an animal shelter; volunteer at a food bank; and/or donate to your local nonprofit that helps with food insecurity, ASAN, Old Friends Senior Dog Sanctuary, or Wildlife Warriors.

        We will remember her wit, her genuine smile, her voice, her laugh. We will forever miss her spirit, her cooking, her love, her very being.

We will always love and never forget you, Katherine.

If you’re looking for more pieces of Kat, here are her social media accounts:

Instagram:  @kat.diiulio

Baking Instagram:  @dreambuttercreamcakes

Facebook/LinkedIn: Kat Di Iulio

Spotify:  ctcckatherinediiulio

Letterboxd:  katdii

See the Legacy.com as well as the stlouiscremation.com websites where photographs will be continuously added over the next few days.