Kathleen Mae (Moran) Reichel, age 84, of Salem, Virginia passed
away peacefully at Friendship Richfield Living the evening of April 7th,
surrounded by her family. Born and raised in Schenectady, New York, to the late Paul
F. and Virginia M. (Craw) Moran, Kathy was the oldest of 4 girls, raised in an
Irish Catholic household, filled with the love of family and strong faith.Kathy graduated from St. Columba’s High School and was a
proud member of the St. Joseph’s Hospital School of Nursing Class of 1963. While
attending adjunct classes at Le Moyne College, she met Tony and they married in
1963. A lifelong learner, Kathy pursued continuing education and received her
BSN from SUNY Utica-Rome in 1982. As a Registered Nurse, Kathy had a broad career. She was a staff
nurse at St. Joseph’s Hospital, had various positions in private practice, and was head
nurse at Loretto Geriatric Center in Syracuse, New York in the 1970s. She
treasured those years working with the elderly population. Prior to retirement
in 2004, Kathy acted as a supervising nurse for the Tompkins County (New York) Health
Department and as an administrative nurse for NOVA Home Healthcare in Sterling,
Virginia.However, the job Kathy enjoyed most was being a
mom and grandma. Even though Kathy was a full time, working mom, she was fully
engaged in the lives of her children acting in such roles as Cub Scout Den
Mother, Girl Scout Troop Leader, Band Booster and high school sports fan.Kathy and her sisters were very close; they
loved celebrating holidays together and even considered Christmas a “5th
season.” They could never have too many
Christmas ornaments or Christmas cookie recipes.Kathy could always be found reading or knitting; many of
her friends and family will remember her as they hang one of her handknit
Christmas stockings. She enjoyed cooking
and baking and loved to entertain family and friends…particularly at Christmas.
Kathy enjoyed travelling, found peace through flowers in
her garden or watching the waves on vacation at the beach. A movie buff,
Kathy’s favorite movie was “Somewhere in Time,” and it was a dream come
true when she and Tony stayed at the Grand Hotel on Mackinac Island. Jigsaw
puzzles and Sudoku were a
fun challenge, and she thoroughly enjoyed playing cards and board games. Later in life, Kathy developed a passion for
making stained-glass art.A true nurturer, she will be remembered for her
kind and caring ways, laughter and fun spirit, generous nature, and unconditional
love.
She is survived by her devoted and caring husband of 62
years, Tony Reichel, as well as her children, Mark (Laura) Reichel and Mary Jo
(David) Crewdson. Kathy is also survived by her sisters Pat Lederman and Mary
(Terry) Friello, her brother-in-law Alan Beck, her three grandchildren Ben Crewdson, Katie (Jay) Crewdson-Singh, and Alex Reichel,
as well as many nieces, nephews and dear friends. She was predeceased by
her sister Arlene Beck and brother-in-law Paul Lederman.
A future without Alzheimer's is out there. Let's get there, together.
Thank you in advance for your kindness and generosity.
