Cailey Breanne TillapaughClearwater, KS

Cailey was funny, stubborn, outgoing, caring, extremely protective of the people she loved, and, as those closest to her would tell you, just a little bouji. She knew who she was, loved the people in her life deeply, and had a way of leaving an impression wherever she went.

She graduated from Central of Burden in 2017 before attending Kansas State University, where she spent six years working toward her Bachelor of Science in Kinesiology, graduating in 2023. Her love for K-State went far beyond her years in Manhattan. If the Wildcats were playing on a Saturday, there was a good chance you would be greeted by Cailey asking, "What is today? ... It's Caturday!" She was a Wildcat through and through.

Cailey worked at Gage Chiropractic Center in Derby, Kansas. Outside of work, she loved cooking and meal prepping, listening to Megan Moroney, cacti, teddy bears, all things pink, and spending time with her beloved dog, Boone, and cat, Eloise.
More than anything, Cailey loved being with her family and the people she cared about. She brought energy with her wherever she went. When Cailey was ready to party, everyone else had better be ready too. And going to bed didn't necessarily mean the party was over. Those who tried could expect Cailey to wake them up early the next morning because she was still going—and she expected them to get up and join her.

That was Cailey. She loved big, laughed hard, had fun, spoke her mind, and protected her people fiercely.

Cailey shared her life with her boyfriend, Garrett Bacon, with whom she was looking forward to a future filled with marriage, a family, and all of the plans they were beginning to make together. The love they shared and the future they envisioned together will forever be part of Cailey's story.

She leaves behind her mother, Shannon Tillapaugh; grandmother, Carol Tillapaugh; sisters, Taivyn Tillapaugh and Jaicey Tillapaugh; nephew, Airion Bryant; boyfriend, Garrett Bacon; and many aunts, uncles, cousins, friends, and others whose lives are forever changed because Cailey was part of them.

She was preceded in death by her Papa, Jon Tillapaugh, and great-grandfather, George Kenyon.

There will always be an empty place where Cailey should be, but there will also always be pieces of her everywhere—in a K-State Saturday, a cactus in bloom, a teddy bear, something perfectly pink, a Megan Moroney song, and every gathering where someone inevitably tells a Cailey story.

Forever loved. Forever missed. Forever a Wildcat.

A Celebration of Life for Cailey will be held Saturday, September 19, 2026, at 4:00 p.m. at the Grenola Community Building in Grenola, Kansas.
Memorial contributions to assist Cailey's family may be sent to Jodi Van Derhagen through Facebook, Venmo, or Cash App. A GoFundMe fundraiser is also available through Facebook. Services entrusted to Countryside Funeral Home 206 E. Washington, P.O. Box 1233, Howard, KS 67349