Kathy, as she was known, was born on October 5, 1934, in Baltimore, MD, to the late Howard E. Crook, Jr. and Katharine Coblentz Crook, and grew up in Catonsville, MD. She graduated from Catonsville High School in 1952, and from Hood College in Frederick, MD in 1956, with a Bachelor of Arts Degree in Early Childhood Education. She was an elementary teacher for 31 years, serving most of that time as a Kindergarten teacher at Catonsville Elementary School. While working full-time as a teacher, Kathy obtained a Master’s Degree in Early Childhood Education from Towson University and served as a Supervisor of Student Teachers for University of Maryland at Baltimore County.
Kathy retired from teaching in 1996. In her retirement she enjoyed collecting and selling Longaberger baskets, managing a large branch of sales consultants and regularly attending the company’s annual “basket bee” in Ohio. She also enjoyed vacationing in Southwest Harbor, ME and spending summers in Bethany Beach, DE with her grandchildren. In 2011, Kathy moved to Fairhaven, a retirement community in Sykesville, MD. She was active in various organizations at Fairhaven including the Fairhaven Residents Association, Chapel Choir, Chorale and Handbell Choir. She also used her knitting skills to craft hats for newborns and scarves for military service members.
Kathy is survived by her son, James T. Heidelbach (Karen) of Monkton, MD, her daughter Deborah H. Wagstaff (Charles) of Red Oak, VA, her granddaughters, Amanda W. Ratchen (Nathan) of Charlottsville, VA, Sarah R. Wagstaff of Ellicott City, MD, Lindsay H. Chase (Ben) of Monkton, MD, Bailey P. Heidelbach of San Diego, CA, and great-grandson, David A. Ratchen. Kathy was predeceased by her sister, Margaret Crook Arnold, in 2025.
A memorial service will be held at Fairhaven on a date to be announced.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in her memory may be made to Hood College, 401 Rosemont Avenue, Frederick, MD 21701 or to the Fairhaven Resident’s Association, 7200 Third Avenue, C-100, Sykesville, MD 21784.
