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SARATOGA SPRINGS, NY- Monica Ann (King) Dutcher died on August 20, 2025, in her room at the Wesley Health Care Community in Saratoga Springs, NY. She was 79.Born on July 17, 1946, in Orange NJ, she was the daughter of Robert and Katherine (Conlon) King of Irvington NJ, the eldest of their six children. Monica grew up in Irvington; she attended St. Leo's Church and the parish school, class of 1960. She then became a member of Archbishop Walsh High School's class of 1964. By then, her dream was to become a pediatric nurse, and so, after a 3-year course of study and clinical training at Holy Name Hospital School of Nursing in Teaneck NJ, class of 1967, Monica earned her RN certification. Early in her career, Monica worked at the children's hospitals in Newark and Philadelphia, loving and learning from the diversity of her young charges in each of those urban settings, and deepening her commitment to this career of service and caring.After a courtship that blossomed and flourished in a letter-writing correspondence, spanning three years and thousands of miles between her east-coast nursing work and his US Army service in Vietnam via Fort Hood TX, Monica married her beloved Harry Dutcher (of Bloomfield NJ) in August of 1971.His early job opportunities in library administration took them to Pine River MN, where their daughter Kate was born in 1978, and then to Champaign-Urbana IL. When an opportunity to lead the Public Library in Saratoga Springs NY arose in 1982, Harry took the leap, both for the leadership challenges and as an opportunity to move with Monica and Kate back East to be closer to family, and he served there with distinction as Director for 25 years. Monica, meanwhile, worked happily in the pediatric unit at Saratoga Hospital until that unit was discontinued, at which point she switched to school nursing-- as always, loving the opportunities to work with children, supporting their physical and emotional health during their vital developmental years. It was with great sadness that she retired early due to heath problems, and-- until her final days-- she would often pine for those years when she found such joy in her work with kids.Monica was pre-deceased by her beloved sister Maureen, who passed in 2023 after a long and valiant fight with breast cancer. Monica is survived by her daughter Kate-- a passionate special-needs teacher and blogger who lives with her husband John Buglino in NJ; by four of her five devoted siblings, living in NJ and MA; by her "adopted" brother-in-law Mike Sumner (who, years ago, lovingly christened her “Mom-ica"--!); by many beloved cousins-- all of whom played a key part in her growing-up happy and loving life in a big Irish family; by 14 hard-working, and creative nieces and nephews, plus all of their bright, wild, goofy, and spunky kids.Along with her dedication to nursing, Monica was— ever since high school— a lover of poetry, literary fiction, and music-- passions shared by her beloved husband and their dear friends. Monica and her five siblings-- Rob, Jim, Terry, Maureen, and Mike-- have all felt grateful they were able to remain close, despite whatever miles came between them over the years. To the end, Monica remained blessed, as well, with loving and loyal friends-- some from her Holy Name nursing school class of '67; some from early career days; and other more recent friends from her wonderful Saratoga years. Monica would say-- as did a favorite poet of hers-- "My friends are my estate." -- Emily DickinsonMonica and her family have felt a deep, sincere gratitude for the administrators and staff of Summit at Saratoga, where she lived for six years after her husband's passing, and for the admin', nurses, aides, and case-workers at Wesley Health Care Community (Saratoga), where she lived for these past two years. In each location, she found laudable attention, support, and kindness.A memorial mass for Monica will be celebrated at St. Clement's Church 231 Lake Ave. Saratoga Springs, NY 12866 on Saturday, September 13, 2025 at 11:00 a.m. Arrangements are under the direction of the William J. Burke & Sons/Bussing & Cunniff Funeral Home, 628 N. Broadway, Saratoga Springs, NY 12866. Those wishing to honor her aspirations and memory are asked to make a donation in her name to the renowned St. Jude's Children's Research Hospital in Memphis TN, or to Covenant House-- a non-profit that provides support and shelter to young people experiencing homelessness and surviving human trafficking, in many locations throughout the US.

Monica Ann (King) Dutcher

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