Kathryn Ann Lamont

Kathy lived for her family and cherished every moment spent with them. They truly appreciated her devotion, compassion, generosity, strength and courage.
She was born in Ambler, Pennsylvania on October 28, 1925 to Violet and Harry Rishel. Kathy was the third child in the family with two older sisters, a twin brother and a younger brother. She passed away on October 5, 2025 surrounded by her loving family just 23 days shy of her 100th birthday. Her appearance belied her age to a point that new acquaintances would frequently express amazement at her youthful features. She would smile and then attribute it to washing with Dove soap, eating York Peppermint Patties and only using real butter.
Kathy grew up during the Great Depression and often shared stories of what her family's life was like during those days. She was a self-professed tomboy and loved climbing trees, going to the farm with her friend and playing games outside. She attended Ambler High School during the war and graduated in 1943. Kathy was a cheerleader and her yearbook photo says, "in each cheek appears a pretty dimple". After graduation, she went to Taylor Business School to become a secretary.
Her first job was at the Insurance Company of North America in Philadelphia. She loved taking the train into the city for her job and would often go out shopping or to restaurants with friends after work. It was at work that she met a young purchasing agent and former Marine, John Lamont, who she always called "Jack". Kathy and Jack were married at her family home in Ambler on August 3, 1956.
They lived in both Pennsylvania and New York before finally settling in Newark, Delaware where they raised their three girls. Jack's mom lived with them and helped care for the children while Kathy worked in the Admissions Office at the University of Delaware from 1965 to 1989. She and Jack bought season tickets on the 50-yard line to the Delaware football games and spent many Saturdays hosting tailgate parties for family and friends.
As a girl, she spent a week each summer with her aunts at a house in Ocean City, New Jersey. Those happy memories turned into a family vacation tradition with Jack and the girls. They rented an apartment in one of the beautiful, older homes in the town and they recreated her childhood experiences of strolling on the Boardwalk to watch saltwater taffy being made, buying fudge to share and getting breakfast at the Chatterbox. When her daughters had their own families, she and Jack joined them for memorable vacations at Disney World.
After Jack passed away in 1996, she lived in an apartment complex in Newark for many years then, in 2008, she moved to West Grove, Pennsylvania to live with her daughter Maryanne. There she settled into a quieter life. She loved cooking her fried egg every morning so that it had just the right amount of runniness and salty flavor. For lunchtime treats, she would request chicken soup or chicken salad from Wawa. And for her sweets cravings nothing was as good as mini York Peppermint Patties straight from the fridge!
Although she never thought of herself as a talented cook, there was one dish that everyone considered to be her specialty - her legendary potato salad. Kathy undertook meticulous and specific steps to produce it. Potatoes had to be cooked to the perfect texture. Celery and onion chopped into equally small bite sized pieces. And, finally, the most important ingredient: Hellman's mayonnaise. In her mind no other brand would do, and we never argued the point. Whether she served it at tailgate parties, birthday celebrations, holiday gatherings or summer cookouts, everyone agreed it was the best they'd ever tasted.
Kathy enjoyed relaxing with her favorite shows like Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy or checking out the History Channel and the Food Network. She kept her mind active by solving crossword puzzles, reading her favorite Danielle Steel novels, and following the stock market. She was an avid sports fan enthusiastically cheering on her Philadelphia Eagles or watching the PGA majors tournaments. We all knew that she was not to be interrupted during the Eagles game or a golf tournament as it was definitely her belief that all manner of bad luck would be the result!
Kathy was pre-deceased by her loving husband Jack, her sisters Mary and Louise, her brothers Edgar and her twin Harry and her favorite great grandpuppy Harlow.
She is survived by her daughters, Susan (Erik), Maryanne and Patti (Len), her grandchildren, Ryan (MK), Megan (Tom), Erin (Khalid), Jeff, Brad (Shannon), her great grandchildren Eliza and Tommy and her other favorite great grandpuppy Halle.
In lieu of flowers, the family requests that donations be made in Kathy's name to Children's Hospital of Philadelphia.
Services and burial will be held privately with the immediate family.