by Melissa McPherson

Kim Killinger is an organizer. In her role as secretary at Stockbridge Jr./Sr. High School, she is relied upon daily for her organization skills and follow-through.

Although it’s not in her job description, the Stockbridge Community News regularly benefits from Kim’s super power. Whether preparing for the newspaper’s extensive coverage of the annual high school Honor’s Night evening, planning the layout of the multi-page senior class photo spread every year, or just verifying random names and details for various high school events the newspaper regularly covers—SCN counts on Kim, and Kim never disappoints.

Over the years, Kim has been active with the Chamber of Commerce, Athletic Boosters, and the Panther Cubs PTO. She currently serves as a student council advisor at the high school and has previously supported student-led service efforts, including a pro-life group that participated in volunteer work.

Kim is also deeply involved at her church in Williamston. For several years, she served as the children’s ministry director, where she helped rebuild programs following COVID shutdowns. She is also part of a team that organizes outreach events, including a Harvest Festival each October and other family-centered gatherings. Allen Berger, pastor at the Free Methodist Church in Williamston, has seen, firsthand, the love Kim has for her community.

“Kim is one of the most caring. giving, loving people I know. She loves people deeply, and she will sacrifice greatly to help others. She does that with joy; she does it behind the scenes in so many ways, and she is just an amazing woman. I am so fortunate to know her,” he says.

Small in stature, this is a woman who puts faith and family first. She can often be found in the stands,; cheering for her son and his friends at a game. Family has always been at the center of Kim’s life. She and her husband, Jeremy, will celebrate 28 years of marriage this October. The couple met as teenagers after Kim moved to Stockbridge at the end of her eighth grade year. Jeremy lived just a mile up the road and was in the same grade as her brother.

“He says the first time he saw me, he knew I was the girl he was going to marry,” Kim says.

Together they have three children: Alexis, 24; Peyton, 22, who has been married for nearly a year and a half; and Evan, 15, a freshman who keeps his parents busy with school sports, including basketball and football.

Originally from Pennsylvania, Kim’s family moved to Stockbridge because of her father’s job with the airlines at Detroit Metropolitan Airport. Before deciding to relocate, for years, her dad commuted six hours each weekend to be home with his family.

While most would not consider Stockbridge a large district, after attending a small private school, the larger public school felt overwhelming to Kim at first.

“I was really quiet,” she recalls. “I kind of kept to myself and had just a few friends.”

Sports helped her find her place. Kim played volleyball and ran track, gradually becoming more involved in school life, especially when she began dating Jeremy, who played football and baseball.

After high school, Kim attended Baker College, earning an associate degree in accounting and a bachelor’s degree in business management with a concentration in accounting. She and Jeremy left Stockbridge for a short time, settling on some family land in Fowlerville, but they never truly left, For years Kim drove her kids to Stockbridge every day for school.

“I liked the smaller community, and we were so much a part of it already because Jeremy was coaching. For many years I would say that we lived in Stockbridge and slept in Fowlerville.”

When Alexis was in second grade, the family decided to move back to Stockbridge.

When she is not attending games and church, or serving her community, Kim loves to bake. She runs a small business called Sweet Creations by Kim that specializes in chocolate covered treats and cake pops.

As she considers what she is most proud of, Kim doesn’t point to a single accomplishment.

“I’m proud of all of it for different reasons,” she admits. While she loves working with and supporting young people in the community, Kim says that her biggest goal for her life is that her kids grow up loving Jesus and wanting to serve the Lord and give back to their communities.

Kim values compassion, generosity and positivity. She leads by example, whether from the sidelines of a football field, the front office of the high school, or from the pews in her church. Kim’s life reflects a quiet but steady commitment to her family, her faith, and to the young people growing up in the community she’s proud to call home.

Photos provided by Kim Killinger