Kathleen Marie Smith

Kathleen passed away at the age of 74, surrounded by her loved ones. She was born in Albany, New York to John and Norma Lenahan. Her family relocated to Moonachie, New Jersey when she was two. She was an only child for the first nine years of her life and was beyond thrilled when her brother Jiggs was born to share the attention of her parents.

Kathy graduated from Woodridge High School in 1966 where she was voted “Friendliest” by her senior class. She was attending Glassboro State Teachers College when she met her future husband David Smith. They were married in 1968 and moved to David’s hometown of Kansas City, Missouri. David quickly learned that you can take the girl from the East Coast, but you can’t take the East Coast out of the girl.

After giving birth to her two children, Patrick and Shannon, Kathleen returned to school and graduated from the University of Missouri – Kansas City with a Bachelor of Science degree in Mechanical Engineering. Kathy was hired as an Engineer at Bendix where the only thing she could say about the work that she did was that she made “non-nuclear components for nuclear weapons”. She made many friends at Bendix and was known and beloved for her hijinks. She and David opened the second Subway Sandwich franchise in the Kansas City area in 1987. Kathy would often be spotted delivering a 6 foot party sub around town in her station wagon. She was a very fair employer and was loved and respected by those who worked for her. Prior to selling Subway, she returned to school at Park University where she obtained her teaching certification in Mathematics. She went on to teach Computer Numerical Control at Van Horn High School, which was at the time the Engineering Magnet School for the Kansas City Missouri School District, Algebra at Park Hill High School and finished her teaching career teaching with the Metropolitan Community College. She was an excellent math tutor for many including all six of her grandchildren.

True to being voted “Friendliest” in high school, Kathy accumulated a tremendous number of friends throughout her lifetime. She treasured all of her friendships and some of her happiest times were spent playing cards, tennis, traveling, knitting and eating out with her friends. She was a voracious reader and enjoyed her book clubs. She was a truly gifted knitter and friends and family were the recipients of the beautiful pieces that she created. Kathy often was the life of the party and was known to tell her famous joke or to dance an Irish jig on occasion.

Kathy enjoyed traveling and went on many adventures with friends and family. She especially enjoyed spending time in Ocean City, New Jersey where she was able to enjoy the shore, family and friends, a tradition that was started with her husband David. Granny, as she was affectionately known by her grandchildren, took each grandchild when they were little along with her 80 pound dog, Micky, for cross country road trip visits to Ocean City and South Padre Island where many special memories were made.

The thing that brought Kathy the most joy was her family. Kathy and David had a happy, fun filled marriage. Family was made a priority with their children, with family game nights, going on the boat, and family dinners. She loved spending time with her East Coast Family, which included her New York cousins, her brother and sister-in-law, and especially her nephews and their families. She championed the role of being Granny and loved watching her grandchildren grow up. Her grandchildren were her pride and joy, and the impact that she made on them will last them the rest of their lives. Along with many other things Kathy was known for, she was also an amazing cook. Her cooking skills and her love for her family, resulted in a several years long tradition of “Tuesdays with Granny”, where during the school year she would have the whole family over for a delicious three course meal. On these Tuesdays, many stories were told and amazing memories were made. Kathy was a pet lover, and had multiple dogs and cats throughout her adult life, and often took in pets that needed a home.

Kathy (Granny, Aunt Granny, friend to many) will be extremely missed and her impact on those who loved her will last an eternity. Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents and her husband David. She is survived by her son Patrick (Rosetta), daughter Shannon, brother John Lenahan (Cindy) and six grandchildren Max, Digger, Ryan, Rowen, Meghan and Dylan, nephews Sean (Anne), Scott (Kate).

Visitation will be held at Newcomers White Funeral Home on Thursday, June 29, 2023, from 4:00 PM to 7:00 PM.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, July 1, 2023, at 11:00 AM at Travers McCurry Funeral Home, 234 Jefferson Heights, Catskill, New York, with burial following at St. Patrick's Cemetery, where she will be reunited with her husband and parents.

A Celebration of Life will be held at a later date.

In lieu of flowers please consider a donation in her memory to: Wayside Waifs, NorthCare Hospice House; please see links below the obituary to donate.

Fond memories and expressions of sympathy may be shared at www.dwnwhitechapel.com for the Smith family.