Obituary of Kathleen Marie Rafferty

Kathleen “Kathy” Marie Rafferty, age 66, passed away on June 22, 2022 in Arlington, VA.  Kathy was born in Phillipsburg, NJ on November 26, 1955 to the late Edward and Marion (Truchsess) Rafferty. Kathy was a graduate of Notre Dame HS in Easton, PA and earned her BA in early childhood education from Immaculata College. Kathy earned a masters degree in counseling from Miami University (Ohio) and later earned a masters degree in theology from Washington Theological Union.  Early in her career, Kathy worked as the director of several daycare centers and provided spiritual guidance for small groups at several local parishes.  Living in the Washington D.C. and Arlington, VA area for much of her adult life, Kathy worked for over 30 years as a program analyst for the U.S. Environmental Protection Agency (EPA).  Kathy was a valued member of EPA’s Tribal Program Team in the Office of Resource Conservation and Recovery.  She led a monthly call with tribal coordinators from across the country and led her team in a continuous improvement process to be more responsive to regional needs. She and the Tribal Program Team received numerous awards for their program, including Customer Service Awards and a Diversity Award. One of Kathy’s greatest joys in life was becoming a mother after adopting her son Matthew from Vietnam in 1998 and her daughter Grace from Cambodia in 2002. With compassion and care for others in mind, Kathy organized and sponsored several fundraisers to support families in Cambodia. She enjoyed supporting her children’s activities throughout their developing years including school events, sports, Cambodian dance, choir, religious education, culture camps and Boy Scouts. Kathy is survived by her two beloved children Matthew and Grace, her five brothers: Edward (Kathleen), Patrick (Domenica), Michael (Molly), Timothy (Leanne) and Matthew (Leah), her twelve nieces and nephews: Sarah, Eileen (David), John (Sarah), Erin (Thomas), Amelia (Varun), Molly (Christopher), Mark, Luke (Hannah), Sophia, Julia, Rachel and Claire as well as nine great-nieces and nephews: Mason, Charlotte, Mansi, Ava, Zara, Paul, Akshay, Alexandra, and Gabby. In addition, Kathy is also survived by a number of friends, including her best friend of many years, Mary Jackson and her children, Alex and Chloe. On Wednesday June 29, 2022 at Holy Trinity Catholic Church in Georgetown, DC there will be a visitation at 9:30am and a Catholic Mass at 10:30am. Burial will be private.

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Kathy’s name to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.

A video tribute to Kathy can be viewed at the following link: https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=2yQoZKbgtZY&feature=youtu.be