Katie Gillihan Remembered at Memorial Service

Friends, family and community members filled in Benicia Friday to remember .

As friends hugged and cried, a projected image of Gillihan looked out across the room. In this picture she had a shock of ultraviolet hair swooping across her forehead from beneath a black beret and a knowing smile.

Gillihan ‘s exuberant personality, and outward expression with her wardrobe and hair color was displayed in a projected slide show. Most pictures showed her with a different hair color. Gillihan’s mother, Donna Gillihan, and friends of the family celebrated Katie's exuberance by wearing clip-on shocks of bright pink hair.

Speaker Stacy Quiett remembered Gillihan’s love for music, and how she spent hours writing and producing interesting stories.

Quiett noted that “you did not have to be perfect to be a friend of Katie. … In fact, it was probably better if you’re not.” She also shared comments made online, one of which read, “Thank you for making me feel accepted in Middle School. … You made my life bearable.”

Jessica Stoner, Gillihan’s friend since childhood, spoke of Gillihan's love of laughter and  the musical group Smashing Pumpkins, and their many adventures including, once attending a rave together. 

“Everyone asked what we were on,” Stoner said. “But when I was with Katie, we were so happy together it was like we were on drugs.”

Some laughed at apparent and some laughed at the stories of their outlandish escapades, including a time they played Native American music so loudly that neighbors thought they were having a ceremony in the back yard. 

Yvette Brown spoke on behalf of the family and read a letter written by Gillihan’s , Robert J. Stalknecht.  The letter told the story of how Stalknecht and Gillihan were recently reconnected and how he told her to “think of me as a spare dad.” In the letter, Stalknecht stated, “I’m sorry that I couldn’t show Katie how great a dad I could have been.”

Stalknecht also thanked Donna and Ron Gillihan “for raising a daughter that we could all be proud of.”

After the service some of Gillihan’s friends gathered outside the church for a quick cigarette and to comfort each other. One friend who only gave her name as Maggie said that she and her husband planned to get tattoos to memorialize Gillihan.   

Gillihan’s body was in her east Benicia townhouse on Feb. 11. Her boyfriend, Adam Wade Disa, who was staying with her at the residence at the time, was that evening as a suspect in her slaying.

Police reported Friday that an performed on Gillihan’s body was inconclusive as to what caused the 26-year-old’s death.  Police did note however that toxicology reports are not yet completed and would be done in approximately two weeks.