Kimberly O'Rourke

Kimberly O'Rourke, primarily known as Kim, age 61, of Cromwell, Connecticut, passed away on March 24, 2026 from metastatic melanoma. Kim was born to parents Donald and Marjorie Platt. She grew up in Newington, Connecticut.

She went on to pursue higher education at the University of New Hampshire, earning a Bachelor of Science degree in Environmental Conservation/Communications, completed coursework for a Masters Degree in Public Administration, and completed the UConn Master Composter training. She spent the majority of her career working as the Recycling Coordinator for the City of Middletown for 33 years.

She was extremely passionate and enthusiastic about her work and contributing towards environmental conservation. Her contributions to the City of Middletown and environmental initiatives are vast. They included the City's Feed the Earth program, resulting in the collection of over 1 million pounds of food scraps from restaurants; the Save as You Throw program, achieving a 30% waste reduction in the Sanitation District of Middletown; and the Coffee Cup Passport program and EPA Healthy Communities campaign to encourage reusable takeout containers at local restaurants. She was responsible for facilitating numerous outreach programs to schools and community members of all ages, and coordinating the City's Earth Day events. She is recognized as a leader in the state for promoting, implementing, and advocating for waste reduction and recycling initiatives at the municipal level. Her impact on the environment and the community will be felt for generations to come. When asked about her job she would always say "I have the best job in the world."

She is survived by her three daughters, Shannon, Colleen, and Brianna, who she described as the highlight of her life and she spent the majority of her time with. They enjoyed taking vacations together, going to concerts, reading, watching rom coms, and knitting. She is also survived by her little dog, who remains a menace to anyone outside of the family. She is remembered by her family and dedicated group of friends as exceedingly kind, selfless, passionate, enthusiastic, dedicated, and happy.

She was preceded in death by her father, Donald Platt, mother, Marjorie Platt, and brother, Tracy Platt.

A Memorial Service will be held on Thursday, April 2nd, 2026 at Duksa Family Funeral Homes at Newington Memorial, 20 Bonair Avenue, Newington, CT from 12:00 pm - 2:00 pm. A service will be held from 1:30 pm - 2:00 pm. All are welcome to attend.

In lieu of flowers, the family suggests donations to AIM at Melanoma Foundation at https://support.aimatmelanoma.org/campaign/756519/donate, or Recycle CT at https://www.recyclect.com/en/donate-now/. To share a memory with her family please visit us at www.duksa.net.