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BOLTON LANDING — Kathleen Fagan, 68 of Bolton Landing, died early Monday morning at Glens Falls Hospital of complications from lymphoma. She was born March 1, 1956, in Providence, Rhode Island, the eldest of three sisters. She grew up adoring the Beatles and the Providence Friars.
Eventually she attended Colgate University. While there, she worked in the basketball office and fell in love and married the star of the basketball team, Chris, whom she first met at a frat party with a sticky basement, a story she loved to tell. Upon graduation, his professional basketball career, combined with her wanderlust, took them to many European cities, including Corsica, France, where Kathy gave birth to their first daughter, Ryan, and enjoyed the surprisingly delicious baguettes in the local hospital.
She had dreams of becoming a broadcast journalist—specifically NBC’s Russia correspondent—but their growing family (a second daughter, Kate, arrived in 1981) and Chris’s roots in Troy, NY had them settling down in Niskayuna. Always on the go, with dreams and aspirations of her own, Kathy became a successful college sales representative for McGraw Hill publishing then Pearson, where she charmed many professors and met lifelong friends. A good chunk of her amazing life was dedicated to Ryan and Kate, and she would zip from campus calls to Ryan’s cross-country meets or Kate’s basketball games.
She was a present, amazing mom who instilled confidence and love in her daughters. She was also a steadfast partner to Chris and was by his side during his battle with amyotrophic lateral sclerosis (ALS), from which he died in 2019. After his death, she found new life in Bolton Landing, building a beautiful circle of friends as well as a writing community, sitting on the board of the local Adirondack Folk School, building canoes, making blueberry pancakes with her favorite little humans (grandkids Henry and Frankie) and traveling as frequently as possible.
She loved great croissants almost as much as she loved the perfect scone, but neither as much as she loved a well-made French fry, preferably dipped in mayo. Most mornings would find her with a latte and the New York Times crossword puzzle, which she finished in record time; afternoons would find her with a good book, probably just back from a long walk—she loved hitting those 10,000 steps; and most evenings would find her searching out a good friend for conversation, sipping some Sauvignon Blanc, or streaming her favorite new show. She was one of the most interesting and fun women to spend time with, inquisitive and curious with amazing life experience of her own.
She had big plans for this next chapter of her life before it was cut short: to travel with loved ones, to watch Henry and Frankie play sports and go birdwatching, to continue exploring the world, including a particular latte-filled chocolate waffle cone in Vienna. Everyone who loved her plans to fill their days with small joys and plan for big ones, just as she did. She is survived by her daughters, Ryan Pandolfini (Mike) and Kate Fagan (Kathryn); her grandchildren, Henry and Francesca Pandolfini; and her two sisters, Susan Crowley and Christine Dowding (Glenn).
She also leaves behind many loving nieces and nephews. She was predeceased by her husband, Christopher J. Fagan; her mother, Maryann Crowley (Brown); and her father, Daniel Crowley.
Relatives and friends are invited to calling hours on Friday, September 20, from 12 to 2 PM, at the Bolton Landing Conservation Club at 56 Edgecomb Pond Road in Bolton Landing. Celebration of life to follow at the same location. In lieu of flowers, donations in Kathy’s memory may be made to St.
Peter’s ALS Regional Center in Albany..
