Obituary: Kathryn (Kay) Crozer, 85

Kathryn (Kay) Crozer, 85, passed away on Oct. 5, 2020.

She was born on April 16, 1935 in Boston, Massachusetts, to Celia (Dolan) and Leo Joseph Doherty.

She attended Girls' Latin School and received her nursing degree from the Faulkner Hospital School of Nursing in Boston. Her adventuresome spirit led her to Sitka, Alaska, where she worked at Mount Edgecumbe Hospital and met her husband Edward Allen (Al) Crozer, a forester. They married in 1961 and were together for 44 years until his death in 2005.

Her husband's job with the U.S. Forest Service took her and their four children to live in many parts of the US: Alaska, Colorado, Utah, and Washington DC. Kay always said she enjoyed living and working as a nurse in all of these places befriending many of her patients, and occasionally bringing them home for dinner.

After his retirement, Kay and Al opened the Green Island Country Store, serving the community on Green Island, New Jersey. They later moved to Aurora, North Carolina, where Kay continued working as a nurse until her retirement, after which they enjoyed traveling overseas and sailing from their backyard on Pamlico Sound. After Al's passing, Kay moved back to New Jersey.

She was always active in the community, most recently as a member of the Senior Women's Club of Beachwood, The Berkeley Ladies Seniors Club, and as a parishioner at St. Barnabas Catholic Church. She loved reading, her dogs, playing cards with friends, and especially being "Nana" to her grandchildren. During the past year she was concerned about the need for first responders during the Covid-19 pandemic, and was frustrated that her age prevented her from volunteering.

She is preceded in death by her husband Allen, and two sons, Timothy and David.

She is survived by daughters Betsy Barnard and Margaret (Louis) Lipscomb, six grandchildren, one great-grandchild, and many nieces and nephews.

A memorial Mass at St. Barnabas Catholic Church in Bayville, interment at Greenwood Cemetery in Trenton, New Jersey, and a celebration of Kay's life will be held at a later date. Visit https://www.mastapetermemorialhome.com/memorials/kathryn-crozer/4415275/index.php for more details.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks for donations to Popcorn Park Zoo and Associated Humane Societies at https://www.ahscares.org/ContentPage/2936.