Kathleen M. Focosi

Kathleen “Kathy” Focosi, daughter of Katherine (Caroll) Pond and Everett Haskell Pond, peacefully entered eternal rest on Thursday, July 4th 2024 surrounded by her family after a long battle with lung disease. She grew up in the Feeding Hills section of Agawam and loved the town and the lifelong friends she made there. A true jack-of-all trades, Kathy’s career spanned many roles, from editor, treasurer, and small business owner to hospital scheduler at Baystate Health.

Kathy (or Colonel Kate, as her grandchildren lovingly called her) loved her position as Matriarch and carrier of family knowledge. She was a proud fan of the Boston Red Sox and New England Patriots and rarely missed a game.

Kathy had many good friends that she made through the years and every one of them was special to her. In her final days, Kathy emphasized the significance of her friendships and it was important to her that her friends understood how important they were to her.

Kathy leaves behind her loving daughters and son-in-law: Valerie Bonatakis (Mike Bonatakis), and Elizabeth Focosi. She received goodbyes from her five grandchildren: Lauren Bonatakis (Tyler Martin), Jack Bonatakis (Marissa Kardon Weber), Haleigh Sylvester (Shane Sylvester), Rachel Franz, and Caden Blais. She leaves behind her beloved great-granddaughters, Evangeline Elizabeth Sylvester and Nora Eleni Bonatakis Martin. Kathy also leaves behind her brother David of Springfield, his wife Bev and their daughter, Jennifer.

She is predeceased by her parents, Everett and Katherine Pond, and by her brothers, Robert and Stephen, whom she cared for in their last days.

Per Kathy’s wishes, a memorial gathering will be private.

Memorial contributions can be made to Rays of Hope at Baystate Health Foundation.

New England Funeral & Cremation Center, 25 Mill Street, Springfield, MA has been entrusted with the arrangements. Please visit Kathy's memorial page at www.nefcc.net for expressions of sympathy.

A reflection from Haleigh(Granddaughter):
The Colonel

Life is made of experiences, moments tying each other to the next pulling us along to where we belong. You have to do a lot of things to have a life.

Kathleen Mary Pond, my grandmother, the Colonel, did a lot of things. She was born a farm-girl, applied herself as a treasurer, junior editor, school crossing guard, and medical scheduler. She also was her father’s beloved daughter, her brothers’ avid supporter, her daughter’s militant mother, and her grandchildren’s mysterious grandmother. As a wife, she supported my grandfather with her unending thirst for knowledge- sharing her skills as a girl who knew her way through a publisher’s printing process and the financial prowess of a good investor. She was proud of her family, determined to do well, and always was who she felt she needed to be.
She hated cartoons and demanded proper etiquette, she was called the colonel for her organized and respected nature of following established roles. There was a hierarchy in the house, and she was at the top of the pyramid. To me, her personality was that of a puritanical powerhouse during my childhood. And she was proud of that puritan part!

But, my grandmother’s personality blossomed after retirement. She laughed more, said more, read more, and did more. I had the pleasure of living with her in the big Victorian house on Firglade Ave. We shared special moments, just her and I, as she prepared the house for sale. We watched television together, chatted over books, and ate meals devised from freezer bags of Bertolli pasta dinners. The way she got excited about murder mystery thriller books written by female authors, how she loved surprises and the beach. She told me ghost stories, we played dice and card games, she shared her secrets and hopes, and showed so much more interest in life than ever before, and I am so grateful to have experienced her as free as she could be.

For all time, she enjoyed Hershey’s chocolate bars with almonds, gin and tonic with lime, and Egg Mcmuffins. Her favorite activities were sending us all videos of America's Got Talent and sometimes, clips from Britain’s Got Talent, too. Grandma was a sports fan- specifically football. The Patriots bolstered her when they won the super bowl, and Brady disappointed her, but he was never her favorite anyway. She dressed up for games, she went all in as if she was actually going to Gillette Stadium. Grandma and I bonded over books. We shared similar taste, probably because her library is where I learned to read. She would have loved this quote from Frederik Backman, and I think it sums this up well.

“The only thing the sport gives us are moments. But what the hell (H E double hockey sticks- because that’s how she said it) is life, apart from moments?”

Thank you, Grandma Kate, for the moments