Kathleen Grace (Reidy) Olsen, 76, of Ledyard, passed away peacefully on January 13, 2022, with her husband of 55 years at her side. Her passing closed the chapter on a decade-long battle against Alzheimer’s Disease.
Born in Sacramento, California, to the late Thomas Patrick Reidy and Nina Margaret Witt, Kathy was the second of three children between a sister, Nina Patricia Duggar, and a brother, Thomas Patrick Reidy. The Reidy family moved with some frequency during her childhood, ultimately settling in Tampa, Florida, where Kathy -- known affectionately during that time as “Chatty Kathy” and “Mother Reidy” – held court. It was during her senior year when, as the only girl in Advanced Math, she met her future husband, Curtis Wayne Olsen, and the two began a romance that has lasted nearly seven decades.
Upon graduation in 1962, Kathy enrolled at Florida State University, where she rushed Alpha Phi and majored in English, ultimately gaining certification to teach. She married Wayne 10 days after his 1966 graduation from the United States Naval Academy, and they made three quick moves with the Navy, during which she managed to fill a position teaching high school English in Maryland while Wayne continued his nuclear power training.
In the first two decades of her marriage, Kathy was the quintessential Navy wife, living in six different states and raising four children, frequently while Wayne, a submariner, was out to sea. She survived those busy early years – especially seven consecutive years in Gales Ferry – with the support of a wide circle of neighbors and fellow Navy wives, occasionally relying upon a steady supply of boxed wine and little league candy bars, usually enjoyed in the company of her dearest friend and chosen sister, Susie Mendenhall.
Kathy was endlessly supportive of and proud of her four children: Thomas, Michael, and Patrick Olsen, and Amanda Fagan. So much of her life in the 70s, 80s, and 90s was spent behind the wheel of the family station wagon, ferrying kids around. She was a fixture on baseball bleachers and soccer sidelines, her shouted encouragement an imbedded part of the game. Family lore is rich with stories like the time she put a rock in her purse on the sidelines of a collegiate soccer game, in case she had to fight the opposing team.
Once her children were older, Kathy began work as the Assistant Children’s Librarian at East Lyme Public library, a good fit for her lifelong love affair with books. She spent a decade sharing her favorite stories and illustrations with young families, as she had done with her own children, infusing in countless little minds the magic of escaping into a good book.
Indeed, that was one of her favorite pastimes. She consumed books like oxygen, the tangled plot lines of murder mysteries unraveling as she inevitably predicted the ending several chapters before the author meant to reveal it. She was not a writer herself – perhaps because she had the world’s worst handwriting, a situation she attributed to having skipped first grade – but she delighted in sharing good books with her family and friends.
Deeply intelligent and genuinely funny, Kathy had a knack for creative problem solving and entertaining storytelling. Her quick mind was well-suited for the strategy (and socializing!) of cards, and she relished the opportunity to play Bridge with her longtime partner and pal, Duchy Weale, and a wider circle of Navy wives.
Kathy was a lifelong collector, to Wayne’s frequent chagrin, and was known for her penchant for accumulating a wide variety of collectibles. She was at the forefront of the Cabbage Patch craze and had more than her share of Beanie Babies. She loved the Home Shopping Network, Vera Bradley bags, trips to TJ Maxx, and simply could not resist the perfect red purse or pair of red shoes.
Her affinity for shopping was offset by her generosity. She was famous for the hand-knit baby sweaters, baby blankets, scarves, hats, or slippers she whipped up to celebrate holidays, milestones, and new arrivals. She donated boots each winter, pulled tags from any giving tree she passed, and donated Beanie Babies to American soldiers to carry in their cargo pockets for children overseas. She loved to give gifts and always seemed to have just the right thing tucked away in a spare bedroom she referred to as her mall.
Alzheimer’s stole from her a lifetime of memories with her high school sweetheart, Wayne, whose absolute adoration for her guided a decade of care. Even through her decline, they continued to share meals out, trips to Cape Cod, movie outings, Connecticut Tiger games, and walks at Eastern Point Beach in search of sea glass. She loved to share many of those experiences with her eight grandchildren: Alexis and Shelby Olsen; Zoë, Xara, and Ezri Olsen; and Boden, Declan, and Hope Fagan.
She is survived by Wayne Olsen, her husband of 55 years; her four children, Thomas, Michael, Patrick, and Amanda; their spouses, Cindy Olsen, Michele Olsen, Michelle Olsen, and Tim Fagan; seven grandchildren; two bonus grandchildren; and her two siblings. She was predeceased by her parents and her granddaughter, Shelby Olsen.
Her family is indebted to the staff at Apple Rehab in Colchester for their gentle, respectful care.
A Funeral Mass will be celebrated on Saturday, February 5, at 1:00pm at Our Lady of Lourdes Church, 1650 Route 12, Gales Ferry CT. Burial in St. Mary's Cemetery New London will be private for the family at a later date.
Donations in her memory may be made to the Alzheimer's Association. www.alz.org.
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