Kathy Riley, 66, of Marshfield, passed away suddenly from heart complications on Thursday, December 28, 2023.

She is survived by her loving husband Stephen Rochinski of Marshfield. She was the devoted daughter of the late Erma (Coppi) and John Riley, loving mother to Ryan and Cristina McDonald of Glenside, Pennsylvania, Evan and Stephanie McDonald of Marshfield, and Kerry and Tim Krusell of Middleboro. She was also the cherished "Gram" to grandchildren Ainsley, Ava, Charlotte, Jack, Mia, and Dana. She was the beloved sister of Nancy Herrig of Canton, Lisa and Gerard Fogler of Bruyeres-le-Chatel, France and Bob Riley and Donna Arpoika-Riley of Las Vegas, Nevada. She was cherished by numerous nieces and nephews, cousins, aunts, and uncles. Kathy was an incredible friend to many. She stayed in touch with all her friends throughout her life.

She had a happy childhood growing up in Bedford. The family eventually moved to a home with a barn that quickly filled with horses, ducks, chickens, and a bunny. Days were spent taking care of the animals, playing kick the can, swimming at Wedgewood, running the nearby fields and woods, and getting together with family friends in town. She spent holidays with her extended Italian family at her grandparents' double decker in Somerville sharing huge feasts, visiting with aunts and uncles, and running around with cousins. Her family was dear to her. Her family vacationed in the Fortunes Rocks beach area of Biddeford, Maine.

Kathy was outgoing and popular even at a young age. Around age 10, she attended 4-H camp and was voted Camp Spirit by all the counselors. As a teenager, her escapades often began with sneaking out her bedroom window to party with friends and at times ended with facing the consequences from her parents. She often reminisced about these great times.

Kathy graduated from Bedford High School in 1975 and from UMass Dartmouth in 1979 with a degree in Sociology. In college, she met the father of her children, Paul. They graduated together, bought a home, and began their careers. Kathy began her career in social work and was deeply invested in caring for children in need. She loved children of all ages, and eventually together with Paul had three children of her own.

Once Kathy's children were born she opted to stay home with them full time. As her children reached school age, she began working as a graphic designer. She started her own business and operated it for the rest of her life. She took great pride in working with local business owners to implement their visions. She created business logos, maps, and many of the local phone books. The quality of her work was enjoyed by many clients who were the benefactors of her incredible attention to detail and tidiness. It was common for her business relationships to become friendships.

Kathy was an incredible mother. She spent every day making sure her children felt loved and supported and that they had anything that they needed. They lived together in a quiet neighborhood in Marshfield that was full of children playing. Her children recall the warm and welcoming home she provided for them, while working her full time job.

As Kathy's children grew up, she enthusiastically supported their activities. She carted her kids around to football, hockey, horseback riding, baseball, and activities with friends. She did this all while making sure all of their schoolwork was done. She never missed an event or game. As exhausting as this was, she loved every moment of it. Anyone who knew her during this period of her life knew how busy and happy she was.

Inspired by her vacations as a child, she returned to Biddeford, Maine with her kids every summer. Some of her favorite memories included the days spent at beaches, Funtown USA, the Freeport outlets, the Seashore Trolley Museum, Kennebunkport, Cape Porpoise, and countless meals at the local seafood restaurants. She rented the same house every year, not far from where she vacationed as a child, on a beautiful rocky cove. One of her favorite places in the world was the second-floor deck of the rental home which overlooked the private cove. She enjoyed cooking for her children and sitting in the rocking chairs on that deck. She would walk the rocky shores, often scrambling the seaweed laden boulders for miles at a time. She loved any rock that was shaped like a heart and built a large collection over the years. She was always positive and happy, but her children recall these Biddeford vacations and her "walks on the rocks" among some of her happiest memories.

She remained close with her friends from early childhood, high school, and college. She possessed an openness to everyone around her and a genuine interest in anyone she met. Together with her friends she traveled internationally, danced, boated, pulled lobster pots, sat on the beach all day, threw parties, laughed, and then laughed some more. Two of her favorite travel destinations were Italy and Costa Rica. In Italy, she particularly enjoyed tracking down her distant relatives in the small town of Monte, nestled between Genoa and Parma. In Costa Rica, she enjoyed the hot days on catamarans and beaches with some of her closest friends.

Kathy was a loyal Patriots fan. She would watch every game, and even record the games to watch later, telling anybody she came across with knowledge of the game, "I don't want to know, I'm going to watch it later!" She absolutely loved Tom Brady.

Kathy loved to knit, and she was great at it. Her children, grandchildren, and many friends all sported custom sweaters, hats, mittens, buntings, and blankets. There was hardly an occasion that she didn't knit multiple items for. She adorned the items with custom leather tags that had inscriptions such as "Handmade with love by Gram" or "Handmade by Mom". When you received a handknit item from Kathy, she wasn't looking to round out your wardrobe as much as she was looking to deliver something special to someone who was special to her.

She and her husband Steve bought a home in Marshfield which they shared with their beloved dog Jake. She loved to host holiday and family gatherings. She often prepared entire holiday dinners and was known for her festive and beautiful table settings. No detail was left unattended. Hosting and cooking for her family was one of her favorite things to do. She was known for going out of her way to make the day special for anybody who attended.

For the past seven years Kathy's greatest joy had been playing with, caring for, and visiting her grandchildren. Kathy would gleefully make the rounds to all of them. Her longer drives were usually spent calling friends and family. Even if you had just spoken to Kathy, she could hold the lightest and most positive conversation for hours. Her grandchildren would always greet her at the door with a "Gram!". Her children and grandchildren that live close by were the benefactors of her selfless commitment to supporting her growing family. She loved picking up her grandchildren from school and taking them with her wherever the day brought them, whether it was to the park, library, grocery store, or to visit other family members. She had a passion for teaching her grandkids about anything they came across. She had little routines and inside jokes with each one of them. Her gentle kindness and silliness with her grandchildren was infectious to anybody that had the pleasure of witnessing it. The smile on her face while hugging one of her grandchildren was a beam of love and light. She cherished every one of these moments.

A celebration of Kathy's life will take place on Saturday, January 13th at the Duxbury Bay Maritime School from 6:00 to 10:00 p.m. In lieu of flowers, please make a donation to the North River Arts Society, by mail to P.O. Box 307, Marshfield Hills, MA 02051 or online at https://www.northriverarts.org/

For online guest book, driving directions and other helpful information please visit the website macdonaldfuneralhome.com