In Memory of Kathy

I awoke yesterday morning to the very sad news that RK's beloved sister Kathy had passed away during the night. We are all having a very hard time coming to terms with Kathy's death. She was only 54. She died in the same hospital where she was born 55 years ago next week. We just saw her over the New Year's holiday and she was at the top of her game. Last week we all learned that she was suffering from four different cancers. And a few days later she entered St. Peter's gates. Why?

Kathy was stunning! And she was smart! She absolutely sparkled. She loved life. She loved her entire family and she loved Ken Magic. She loved cats. She loved celebrations. She had a beautiful laugh and a great sense of humor. She was very spiritual; loved astrology and all things "woo woo". She loved Shirley MacLaine, Martin Cruz Smith and The Sopranos.

Kathy was very tall and very glamorous and she treated her body like a temple. She looked beautiful in everything she wore, but especially in turquoise and black, and she never left the house without looking gorgeous. She understood style and she knew what looked good on her! She loved to explore vintage clothing shops and bookstores and she was often thrilled to come away with amazing treasures.

Kathy was a very talented painter and I will forever cherish our lounging yellow cat. And my god, could she wrap a present! Every gift we ever got from Kathy was wrapped in shiny colorful paper with amazing ribbons & bows, and cleverly composed gift tags! And speaking of gifts; she put such thought into every gift we ever received from her. And she never forgot presents for our pups and kitkats. This past Christmas Kathy gave me gorgeous Buddha earrings and a brown Eddie Bauer vest. The vest didn't really fit my very plump figure, but we all pretended it did. It was that vest and my desire to wear it that drove me to start an intense exercise regime and nutrition plan. In recent conversations we were able to tell her that the vest now fits!

Kathy adored chocolate and she was famous for her shrimp scampi. She was wild about hot sauce! She loved to plan a party and I'll always have memories of New Year's Eve celebrations at The North Pole...complete with glittery crowns and noisemakers! She was a great conversationalist and made every person in a group feel special and welcome.

Kathy loved to travel and she and Ken enjoyed some great vacations. She especially loved the Outer Banks! She loved it when Consti came to visit from Germany. She was our hero after she smelled burning wires under our porch while visiting Gloucester several years ago for her birthday week. And she loved the firemen who came to our rescue! She loved Virginia. She loved politics. She loved books. She loved movies. She loved Yanni, Il Divo and Eminem!

Most recently Kathy was the very best caregiver a Mom and Dad could ever ask for. She worked tirelessly to keep everyone comfortable and safe. She was a truly devoted daughter, sister, girlfriend and good friend.

We will miss Kathy immensely but her star will surely shine bright forever. Kathy died way too young and she leaves behind her two parents, two brothers, two sisters-in-law, three nephews, Ken, her many aunts & uncles & cousins and lots of friends all over the world.. all asking how this could happen, and how it could happen so fast. We will all honor her memory as long as we live.

It's been an extremely tough week for my dear friend Debby's family too. 19 year old tennis champ and chef extraordinaire Jon passed away on Tuesday. Heaven has two new residents this week, and altho' they will be missed immensely on this earth., they'll be bright stars in heaven shining down on all of us. Kathy, please watch out for Jon! And visa versa. God bless you, and may you rest in peace.