Kathleen Perrego

Kathleen Mary Perrego. WESTMERE

 Kathy, 81, passed peacefully surrounded by her loving family on Monday, December 2, 2024. She is survived by her daughter (Kathleen S), 4 sons (Robert, Thomas (Teresa), Michael and Gregory), 6 grandchildren (Dylan, Gianna, Katie, Sarah, Zoe, Mila), her “special grandchild” (Summer), and many loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her parents (Benjamin and Matilda), her 4 siblings (Judith, Paul, Shirley, and Stephen) and her son (Joseph).

 Kathy was born the second of five children in Albany, NY and raised on 3rd Street in Rensselaer. She attended and graduated from St. John’s grade school/high school.

 Throughout her growing up years, Kathy, an intelligent woman, highly valued education and dreamt of going to college. Against all odds, she started college. Soon thereafter, her dear aunt became ill. It quickly became clear to her that her love for family superseded all else. Not surprisingly, she dropped out of college to take care of her aunt. 

 When she was 19, Kathy met Joseph Perrego. They had a lot of fun dancing together and with their skill often cleared the dance floor. Soon after, they married and had a family of their own. She had six children… Kathleen S, Joseph (died at 9 months), Robert, Thomas, Michael and Gregory. She was a homemaker for over a decade and poured herself into taking care of her family. Money was tight, and she made it work… from shopping the sales at multiple markets to learning everything from the painting to plumbing & the electrical skills that she needed to fix things around the house. She even grew vegetables in our tiny yard on 10th street… imagine corn growing under the picture windows, carrots and radishes in the circular flower beds in the postage stamp of a front yard, cucumbers growing in the two-by-three-foot space along the back fence and tomatoes in a circular bed next to the peonies. Can you spell resourceful? Yes, that was one of our Mom’s superpowers.

 Even though Kathy was very busy tending to our family and home, she made time for fun. Every summer, we went camping at the campground that her parents brought her to years before (Moffit Beach). We swam, walked, canoed, played games, made doughboys, pizza pies and “somemores,” and sang around the campfire. Sometimes, she would even play her accordion at night. One of the activities I particularly enjoyed was the scavenger hunts she put together for us. (My favorite item to find was tadpoles in the swampy grassland along the way to Snyder’s camp store.) We would come back hours later, intellectually stimulated, with our bags filled with items on the list, and our hearts full of laughter. How fun is that!?!

 During this phase of her life, Kathy ran a vibrant Girl Scout troop. This gave her the opportunity to be creative and to teach dozens of girls many life skills… and, most importantly, to help them develop confidence and leadership skills. Some things I remember from Girl Scouts are… learning about the history of Fort Craillo and building a 4 by 4-foot replica of the Fort out of bread dough. (What you may not know was our Mom spent many, many hours late at night laying the 1 x ¼ x ¼ inch bricks to get the Fort done in time for the showing)… weaving pine needle baskets… making the puppets and painting the marionette stage in our basement … the boxes and boxes of Girl Scout cookies on our front porch that my brothers made forts out of… the bicycle trips… the hiking trips… and don’t forget about camping trips at Moffit Beach and Mount Greylock. We certainly learned a lot and had a boatload fun in the process. During this time, Kathy had a positive impact on many women-in-the-making, as well as all the people that they have touched since their Girl Scout days. For your dedication and love-in-motion, we thank you.

In the face of many life challenges, Kathy dreamt and thought outside the box. She frequently would say “where there is a will there is a way.” Using her determination and resourcefulness, Kathy put legs under her dreams and pulled many rabbits out of the proverbial hat. For example, even though there was no money for college, and no one in the extended family had gone to a four-year college (at that time), all her children graduated with bachelor’s degrees, two went on to earn graduate degrees, and one went to medical school. Clearly, she knew how to make things happen with her “can-do” attitude.

 Family was very important to Kathy. She thoroughly enjoyed spending time with her children, grandchildren and “special grandchild”, loving us and growing us into ourselves. She taught us many things…from the skills that we needed to function in life to making macrame bracelets, snowflakes out of wooden clothes pins and a toy gun from the leftover wood in the basement…to drawing and painting… to knitting, crocheting & embroidering. Sometimes, she would partially finish the projects we were working on after we went to sleep so that we could ultimately experience the pride and joy of completing the project ourselves. Through the many skills she taught us, our Mom supported us in developing the confidence and resilience we needed to meet the challenges we would face in our lives. She was clearly a champion of children.

 Kathy deeply loved her large extended family. She looked forward to the many, many family gatherings and reunions she had with her parents, aunts and uncles, cousins, siblings, nieces and nephews and their children. This past August we had a blast at our last family gathering with her in her beautiful backyard.

 My Dear Cousins, our Mom spoke frequently about her gratitude for all of your love and support over the years. You were invaluable to her. My brothers and I thank you from the bottom of our hearts for being there for her in all the ways that you did. 

 Kathy had a special place in her heart for her Dear Friend Heidi. Albeit different, the two of you have traveled through time and space for many decades… supporting each other and co-creating life together. She loved you Heidi! She also loved and enjoyed her relationships with her neighbors, her Lunch Bunch, her friends in her various clubs, as well as her high school and work friends and expressed gratitude for you all. 

 Kathy also loved her animals… Pixi, Prancer, Dodi and especially her beloved, Lola. Lola, not only kept her company, Lola walked her in her later years as she walked Lola. 

 In a different vein, Kathy was an intelligent woman determined to get ahead. When the time was right, she entered the work force and worked her way up into management in the NYS Tax Department. Along the way, she taught herself computer programming (COBOL) and, eventually, took courses at the College of St Rose to support her job advancement. Ultimately, she found a niche for herself in the interface between computer programming and graphic design. When you think about it, she was one of the most well-known artists in NY. After all, what adult living in NY State in the 1990’s has not seen a tax form that our mother had a hand in creating?

 After retirement, Kathy had time for what she loved most… art. She took many classes at Hudson Valley Community College… in pottery, stained glass, drawing, watercolor and 3-D art. It was a wonderful time as she brought home many beautiful creations. She also loved gardening, and her yard became her palate. I remember many trips home where we would walk around her garden enjoying the beauty, and she would tell me about what she planned to do next. With time, she became a master gardener with flowers and plants thriving three seasons of the year. One of my favorite creations was her succulent butterfly garden on the right-hand side of her driveway. She collected the white stones used to outline the butterfly and carefully selected low-level plants of various colors to “paint” the wings. It is gorgeous. 

 Others recognized Kathy’s creative mastery as well. She submitted plants that she grew and her artwork/creations to the Altamont fair and was awarded many ribbons of all colors over many years. Anyone who knows our mother knows that she was the epitome of creativity in motion, creating beauty in many domains throughout her life.

 Kathy enjoyed many activities, including water skiing in her younger years, walking in the Pine Bush, SOS, tennis, skiing, ushering for Cap Rep, watching dance performances, Home Bureau, the Garden Club, and, in her later years, playing bridge. She also spent many an hour volunteering for the Albany Pine Bush Preserve, an organization she was passionate about. In a different vein, Kathy had an adventurous spirit. She traveled extensively in and outside of the US with family and friends. Also, she was not afraid to travel by herself, exploring and learning along the way. Clearly, Kathy lived a vibrant, rich life… a life beyond her wildest dreams. 

 Mom, know that we saw your big heart, and the way you loved through acts of service. We also saw that you, like everyone else, were perfectly imperfect. Please know that we know, without a shadow of a doubt, that your intentions were good. We are grateful for all of you… both the easy and the challenging parts.

 We thank you for your love… for all that you did for us… for the sacrifices you made both seen and unseen. We thank you for the ways you supported us, grew us, and helped us to open doors to step into the fullness of ourselves.

 You lived… You loved deeply… you laughed… you dreamt… you did your best with what you had… you succeeded… you made mistakes… you cried… you learned… and you tried some more… making a difference in the process. Most importantly, you showed up and lived your best human life.

 Now your life is complete. 

May you rest in peace knowing that your life played out perfectly in its own way… that you are deeply loved... and you will be missed.

 As your life is complete, also know, you live on within us…

in our strengths, in our skills, in our values, in our challenges, and in our memories. 

May we take the best of what you have gifted us and let go of the challenging bits. 

May we also rest in peace knowing that you… our Mom, our aunt, our friend, our colleague… loved us deeply.

 Deep peace to you Dear Mom…

Deep peace to all of us…

 Deep peace of the rolling waves to you.

Deep peace of the flowing air to you.

Deep peace of the quiet earth to you.

Deep peace of the shining stars to you.

Deep peace of the gentle night to you

Moon and stars shine their healing light on you.

Deep peace to you. Deep peace to you.

May you always walk in beauty,

May you always rest in love

May you always feel at home.

May you never feel alone.

 You’re not alone. You’re not alone. 

 Deep peace to you. Deep peace to you.

(Deep Peace, an Irish blessing as interpreted by Carrie Grossman)

So be it. So, it is.

Friends and Family are invited to Kathy’s wake from 9-10:30 am on Saturday, December 14 at Newcomer’s Funeral Home. Her Celebration of Life will begin at 10:30 am. The burial will follow at 1 pm at Holy Sepulchre Cemetery (Rensselaer, NY).

In honor of Kathy’s memory and in lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Albany Pine Bush Preserve Commission https://www.albanypinebush.org/index.php?section=friends-join-donate. 

We would deeply appreciate you sharing your memories below.