Kathleen Dempsey, former French and Spanish teacher at New Trier and Darien High Schools, passed away peacefully at home in Stamford, CT on May 19, 2022, after a 16-year bout with Alzheimer’s. Kathy was a gentle, kind and courageous person with a warm smile and soft voice.
Ms. Dempsey was born in Evanston, Illinois on May 5, 1942, the daughter of Edwin and Agnes Dempsey. Kathy grew up in Wilmette, IL with two older and two younger brothers who adored their only sister.
Ms. Dempsey was a graduate of Creighton University in Omaha, Nebraska with a B.A. degree, majoring in French and minoring in Spanish. As an undergraduate, she spent her junior year abroad in Aix-en-Provence. She received a Master’s degree in French from the University of Nebraska, and spent a year studying French Literature at the Sorbonne at the University of Paris.
Kathy taught French conversation and composition for two years at Moorhead State College, Moorhead, Minnesota. She then spent 14 years teaching French and Spanish at New Trier High School in Winnetka, Illinois.
After relocating with her family to Stamford, Kathy accepted a position at Darien High School, teaching French and Spanish from 1986-2006.
Kathy was an outstanding foreign language teacher, beloved by students and faculty alike. She made herself available to her students long after the school day was over as a teacher and a mentor. Kathy was always trying to introduce new techniques that would facilitate her students’ verbal fluency and comprehension. Her primary professional goals were to enable her students to experience the joy of speaking French or Spanish, and to develop a deeper understanding of other cultures.
Kathy enjoyed gardening, playing tennis, skiing, hiking and swimming. Her favorite flower was the Iris, her strongest tennis stroke – the backhand. An accomplished skier, she was also a good swimmer, equally adept at all strokes. She also became an avid birder and enjoyed taking pottery classes.
Kathy’s children remember her patience and kindness, modeling gratitude and empathy. She always reminded them to consider another’s point of view. They were comforted by her bedtime prayer, “May angels sleep on your pillow.”
Kathy was a feminist and a strong believer in equal rights, who contributed to organizations helping the less fortunate and to those protecting the environment. She belonged to a local food co-op to support local farmers and organic foods. She shopped with reusable mesh bags to reduce pollution before it was fashionable. She was a loyal supporter of Stamford Theatre Works and attended almost all of its performances over its 20-year existence.
As a young woman Kathy performed as a dancer in a renaissance music fair and later at her daughter’s wedding she debuted as a bass guitarist with La Familia.
Even though she was stricken with early-onset Alzheimer’s, forcing her to retire from teaching prematurely, Kathy then studied Italian for the first time, and learned enough of the language to hold several conversations on a trip to Sicily. Many other trips followed with her husband Doug, including New Orleans, Quebec, London, Paris and southern France, as well as to Florida and California to visit family and friends. One of Kathy’s favorite snacks was baguette with unsalted butter accompanied by café au lait or a glass of vin rouge.
Despite the relentless encroachment of her disease in the last few years, Kathy’s resilience and strength were a marvel and an inspiration to her doctors, caretakers, family and friends. She loved life and always shared that love with others.
A beloved wife, mother, grandmother, and sister, Kathy is survived by her husband Douglas P. Karp of Stamford, her children Emily Casolo of Ridgefield, CT (Billy), Joshua Dempsey of St. Helena, CA (Erin) and Andrew Dempsey-Karp of Bend, OR (Alex) as well as her five grandchildren Hayden, Quinn, Drew, Paxson and Callen, and her brothers Raymond Dempsey of Glenview, IL, Jerry Dempsey of Des Plaines, IL (Anne Marie), Stephen Dempsey of Minneapolis, MN (Gay) and Peter Dempsey of Eustus, FL (Pam). A special thanks to her dedicated, skilled and loving caretakers Marilyn Cadet, Blossom Ndebele and Andrea Ospino Rodriguez.
In lieu of flowers, the family would appreciate any donations in memory of Kathy be given to GraceWorks, Inc. at (www.graceworksforall.org) or Alzheimer’s Association.
Partager l'avis de décès
v.1.9.5