Margaret Kay Gartrell

Gartrell Margaret Kay Dec. 14, 1942 - May 31, 2025 On May 31, 2025, the land of the living lost one of the modern era's female, legal trailblazers. Margaret Kay Gartrell ("Kay"), age 82, passed away after a long battle with fallopian tube cancer, surrounded by some of her favorite people, fitting for a woman so devoted to those she cherished. Born to a dairy farmer and his wife in Nesbit, Mississippi in 1942, Kay was a product of, and also anathema to, her upbringing: tough, opinionated, charming and intellectual. A star student from an early age, Kay took herself wherever she wanted to go outside the bounds of the family farm in rural Desoto County, Mississippi. Following her proud tenure as the Desoto County Dairy Queen in 1960, Kay earned a scholarship to Mississippi State College for Women, where she earned her bachelor's degree in Journalism. Following up with a career in law, she enrolled in the University of Mississippi in 1964. During a serendipitous enrollment in classes at Ole Miss, Kay's undeniable brilliance was recognized by former Ivy League professors who encouraged her to transfer to Yale Law School. One of only nine women in the Yale Law class of 1967, Kay became the first woman from Mississippi to graduate from Yale Law School. Kay met her first husband at Yale Law and, together, had a son, Daniel, in 1972. The early years of her career included teaching civil rights law in North Carolina, clerking for a judge in Detroit, working for Legal Aid and eventually finding her way to Philadelphia, where she began a career in litigation. First working in corporate litigation at Duane Morris and then Goodman Ewing, where she made partner, Kay's defining moment was her successful trial representation of the steelworkers at Lukens Steel in Coatesville, PA in a broad-reaching race discrimination case affirmed by the U.S. Supreme Court. Due in no small part to her relentless dedication, tireless work and loyalty to the plaintiffs, they prevailed, thereby changing the landscape of employee relations and fairness at one of the country's most productive steel mills. After years in private practice as a divorced woman barely accepted in a pantsuit(!), Kay found the true love of her life, Richard Kirschner ("Rick"), a renowned Philadelphia labor lawyer, whom she met in court as opposing counsel on the same trial. It would take Rick another year to call and ask out this stunningly beautiful and intimidating adversary. Six months later, in July of 1978, they were married. From a previous marriage, Rick had four children of his own, including Linda Sue and Jason, who later in life were deeply devoted to Kay. Kay continued in private practice until Rick became general counsel for the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME) in the early 80's, at which time the couple moved to Bethesda, MD. In February of 1982, their only child together, Meredith, was born. Kay took five years off to stay home with Meredith before Rick proposed that they form their own labor law practice together. Hesitant about not having labor law experience, but reassured by Rick that he would teach her what she needed to know, Kay said yes and the firm Kirschner & Gartrell. P.C. was born. The couple continued to represent labor unions and pension funds for more than 30 years until Rick's death in 2020. Following a cancer diagnosis in 2021 and treatment at Johns Hopkins University Hospital, Kay moved in with Meredith and Meredith's husband, Justin, and stepchildren, Rosey and Roman, in 2024 in Haddon Township, NJ, enabling her to be close to Meredith and continue her treatment at Penn's Abramson Cancer Center. Kay spent her final years and last days laughing with her friends and family, watching her favorite streaming series', and being furious about the current administration's annihilation of the democratic experiment. Ten days before her passing, her first great-grandchild, Lucy, was born. Kay spent those final days delighted by pictures and videos of the new baby, which brought her immense joy. Kay's final act of altruism was the donation of her tissue to the University of Pennsylvania's Legacy Tissue Donation Program, where researchers from Penn and Johns Hopkins were able to harness her tissue samples for cancer research, so that the next Kay Gartrell will win her battle against cancer. Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Richard Kirschner, and her brother, William Calvin Gartrell III. She is survived by her children, grandchildren, great-granddaughter, nieces and nephews, and countless devoted and dear friends. Her love for her family and friends, as well as her devotion to fairness, equality and justice, knew no bounds. She was not only a champion of human rights and workers' rights, but also a cheerleader for her loved ones, embracing their successes and joys as if they were her own. When you were with Kay, you felt right at home. Kay's life may be honored with a donation to one of her many deeply cared-for causes/organizations: the ACLU, Southern Poverty Law Center, Planned Parenthood, Amnesty International, or any other cause that champions civil rights, freedom of choice, or the legal needs of underrepresented/underserved populations. And if you're so inclined, enjoy a glass of French wine, a thinly sliced fried green tomato, and watch something delightful on TV with good friends and close family to celebrate this incredible life.