The dark apparition of death has stalked my family and me again with the death of my beloved sister, Kathleen (Kathy), on March 29. It was only 16 months ago that my father died, and before that, what seems like an unbelievably short time (eight years ago) that my beloved wife Mary died. But such is life. It is filled with many transitions, some of them not so happy.

My sister epitomized vivacity. She had a great love of life and all it offered. She lived it intensely and lit up every room she was ever in. She was the ultimate “people person.” She got along with people of all backgrounds and interests and always made anyone and everyone feel that they were the most interesting and important person in the room. She treated everyone with dignity and respect.

Her way with people served her well when she worked as an insurance agent. One man I ran into who knew her from the West Branch Life Underwriters said, “She was a great salesperson because she was so good with and loved people so much.” Her sales ability enabled her to qualify for two of the company’s conventions at the Homestead and the Greenbriar while working for the Baltimore Life Insurance Company. She was always proud of those achievements and also because they gave her and her husband a nice mini-vacation at two first-class resorts.

She always did enjoy traveling. One of her most memorable trips was to visit a friend in Greece with our maternal uncle, Bob. The people she encountered in Greece really enjoyed her because she had the same zest for life that they did.

She was much more to me; she was my sister. I had a wonderful, loving, and fun childhood with her and my other sister, Karen. I was the “big brother,” so naturally, I tried to dominate. Still, Kathy would always cut me down to size whenever she thought I was getting too big for my britches.

She was quite a clothes horse and appreciated beautiful clothes, enhancing everything she wore. She would have looked great in just a burlap bag. One of her greatest thrills was walking down the runway at a fashion show at the Genetti Hotel some years ago. One of her husband’s favorite photos is of her in her finery, strolling down that runway.

She loved motorcycles and sporty cars. My brother-in-law had a couple of neat motorcycles, and she always enjoyed riding with him.

She also loved tooling around in her fiery red Pontiac — a Solstice with the white racing stripe. She was so proud of that car and being seen driving around in it. I always had trouble getting in and out of it, but it gave her much pleasure. She was all set to start going around in it once the weather got better. I sure wish she still had the chance to drive it again.

Metal and hard rock music was her musical passion, and she reveled in the music of groups such as AC/DC, Guns N’ Roses, and Van Halen. She especially loved Freddie Mercury and Queen’s “Bohemian Rhapsody.” She also enjoyed milder fare such as Chicago, which undoubtedly stemmed from her days with the Marching Millionaires Band in high school. Several Chicago songs were part of the band’s repertoire during that era.

My sister’s given name is Kathleen because it is such a lovely Irish name, and my mom loved it because of her Irish heritage. But we never called her that — it was always Kathy. In the past 20 years or so, her husband and his friends called her “Kathleen,” which seemed and still seems fine to me.

She was a wonderful and devoted sister and was very good to me, our sister, Karen, and my parents. She showed her kindness and class to my mom and me after our dad died. She was a rock for us. She took care of many things for us, from taking my mom to the hairdresser or doctors’ appointments and running to the bank. She was always happy to do any errands. She took me to the grocery store each week and sometimes to doctors’ appointments since I am legally blind and can’t drive. She did all of this cheerfully and without complaint. There is no doubt that my surviving sister, Karen, feels very much as I do.

I will close with a quote from a Nanci Griffith song, “Gulf Coast Highway,” which really applies to Kathy, sometimes known as “Chatty Kathy.”
“And when she dies, she says she’ll catch
Some blackbird’s wing
Then she will fly away to Heaven come
Some sweet blue bonnet spring.”

Well, Kathy found her blackbird’s wing and that blue bonnet spring. We will miss you very much, and you have left a lot of love and memories behind.