CHALOUX, Kathleen "Kathy" Marie Age 68, cherished mother, wife, Nana and the very best friend you could ask for, passed away on Friday, November 14, 2025, following a courageous battle with Alzheimer's disease.
Born in Warwick, Rhode Island, on December 8, 1956, to Francis and Gertrude Crudden. From a young age, Kathy was determined to explore life beyond her home state. At 17, she proudly left Rhode Island to attend Northeastern University, where she studied Criminal Justice and fell in love with Boston's vibrant culture and intellectual energy. She believed deeply in the power of education, often saying, "We don't go to school to learn what to think, but how to think."
Kathy earned her Juris Doctor at Boston University while raising two young children, impressively taking only one semester off following the birth of her daughter. Her commitment to learning and critical thinking shaped the lives of her three children, Chris, Kate and Tim, whom she considered her greatest accomplishments and the loves of her life.
Kathy built an illustrious career in law, beginning at the Attorney General's Office in Providence, Rhode Island, where she honed her legal skills writing briefs and litigating. She went on to practice labor and employment law at the Massachusetts Department of Revenue and later worked in the General Counsel's office at the Massachusetts Water Resources Authority, retiring in 2021.
Wherever Kathy went, she made, and kept, friends who became family. From law school to every workplace, from her children's schools to the dog park, she cultivated deep and lasting relationships with her signature philosophy: "Life is about who we love, and who we let love us." She famously hosted the "Friends of Kathy Party," bringing together friends from every chapter of her life to eat, drink and be merry, sometimes with Botox and experimental facial treatments taking place right in the family living room.
Kathy reveled in life and truly lived large. She navigated its vicissitudes with eternal optimism, strength, perseverance, sharp wit and a great sense of humor. She created homes in North Reading and later in Boston's South End that radiated warmth and comfort, a revolving door of her friends and her children's friends, all embraced under her guiding mantra, "All are welcome here."
Kathy is survived by her devoted husband, Stanley; her son, Christopher (Caitlin), of Amesbury; her daughter, Kathryn (Thomas Paquin), of North Reading; and her five beloved grandchildren: Maeve, Otis, Tighe, Declan and Aurora. Kathy is also survived by her sister, Janice Warnock (Stanley) of Warwick, RI; and brothers, Peter Crudden (Lois) of Warwick, RI and Thomas Cru Dane (Mary) of North Carolina; as well as many nieces and nephews, whom she adored. She also leaves behind a wide circle of cherished friends with whom she shared many laughs, took fabulous trips, and enjoyed solving the world's problems with, always over a glass of wine or cup of tea, especially her dear friend, Kathleen Hagerty, of Rhode Island. She was preceded in death by her parents; and her beloved son, Timothy, whom she has
long looked forward to being reunited with.
Relatives and friends are invited to visit with Kathy's family on November 20, from 4 to 7pm, in the Cota Family Funeral Home and Cremation Service, 335 Park St. (corner of Park St. and Rte. 28), NORTH READING, at the Reading line. Her Funeral will be held on Friday, November 21, in St. Theresa's Church, 63 Winter St. (Rte. 62), North Reading, at 10:30am. Please go directly to church. Interment will be private. Please omit flowers, and make donations in her memory to the
Alzheimer's Association, online at
https://www.alz.org/manh www.cotafuneral.comPublished by Boston Globe from Nov. 17 to Nov. 19, 2025.