Kathryn "Kate" Kennerly

Kathryn “Kate” Kennerly: beloved wife, sister, daughter, aunt, friend, creator, adventurer, compassionate helper of strangers, and collector of Pyrex that absolutely did not count as clutter has passed away on November 12, 2025. She lived a life stitched together with creativity, mischief, generosity, and devotion to people and animals.

Early Life & The Making of a Creative Explorer

Kate grew up in Plymouth Meeting, where her artistic side was less “hobby” and more permanent condition. From painting and drawing to decorating anything that stood still long enough, creativity was her way of life. Four years of high-school stage crew brought this out for everyone to see. She balanced that artistic flair with an adventurous streak. She was always ready for an Ultimate Bike Adventure, especially if it might end with ice cream.

She worked an impressive roster of teenage jobs: fry cook, drugstore cashier, and an under-the-table gig at a Lafayette Hill gift shop that surely violated labor laws. A Girl Scout and lover of the outdoors, she learned early the joys of orienteering, hiking, and convincing her family to adopt every dog and cat within emotional range: Blackie, Eartha, Pappadom, Vindaloo, and Dexter, among others who benefitted from her soft heart.

She attended Penn Christian Academy and then graduated from Plymouth-Whitemarsh High School in 1999, picking up life-long friends and leaving behind a trail of art supplies.

Shenanigans & The Big-Hearted Young Adult

Kate continued learning at Albertus Magnus College, pursuing art therapy, a perfect blend of her creativity and her desire to heal the world one person at a time. While there, she became: (1) Coordinator of student activities, (2) a founding member of the inaugural step-dancing team (which, to the world’s great loss, did not go professional), and (3) a Resident Advisor for what can only be described as two extraordinary weeks Her young-adult years were rich in shenanigans: no-pants train rides to New York City, dumpster diving to rescue still-good food for donation, and stellar road trips featuring cross-country travel, sleeping secretly in campgrounds, and enjoying complimentary Holiday Inn breakfasts to which she was absolutely not entitled.

She chased solar eclipses, hiked Acadia, and attended a pseudo-Burning Man festival in Delaware, because of course she did. She gathered friends for frequent trips to the Poconos and elsewhere which became remembered chapters in their lives.

Her off-and-on veganism (always broken for the sacred eggs and bacon) became a beloved annual ritual, especially her vegan cinnamon buns at Christmas.

A Life of Service & Healing

Kate’s heart was her compass, and it guided her into a life of helping others. She worked in a pediatric psychiatric unit at St. Raphael in New Haven. She became a cognitive rehabilitation therapist in southeast Pennsylvania, teaching essential life skills to people with acquired brain injuries. Her path then led her to her work as a program manager at Worthwhile, where she supported survivors of human trafficking with deep compassion, skill, and unshakeable humanity.

Love, Home & The Joyful Adult Life

Twelve years ago, Kate met Joe, her match in humor and planning prowess. Together they built a life that was full and beautifully balanced. The adventures and creative pursuits simply grew in number, focus, and purpose.

Kate’s passions continued to flourish in adulthood: a Pyrex and Fiestaware fanatic, a collector of vintage Christmas decorations, and thrifter. Her craft closet overflowed with potential masterpieces: paintings, sewing, and her lovingly handmade vintage-style beaded ornaments. Joe told her: We don’t have room for this. But she found room anyway.

She filled her house with succulents aplenty, and surrounded her home with blossoming flowers, too. She restored old treasures, including a card catalog that she brought back to life, breathing beauty into objects the same way she did with people.

She was a devoted and imaginative aunt, showering her niece and nephews with special stocking bags every Christmas. A creative and thoughtful gift-giver, she wrapped every present in ironic cartoon paper, and packed bursting bags of carefully chosen stocking-stuffers, as she made Christmas magical for kids and adults alike. She had an instinct for making children feel delighted and deeply seen. 

A Life That Made the World Better

Kate’s legacy is one of kindness, creativity, humor that softened life’s edges, and playful adventures. She believed in rescuing food, animals, furniture, people when necessary, and in finding joy everywhere, even in the bottom of a thrift-store bin.

Kate leaves behind a world she made brighter and more compassionate, family who loved her, friends who will forever share her stories, and a partner who loved her deeply and grows forward with her memory as his guide.

Her life was a tapestry of color, kindness, and love, and all of us lucky enough to know her carry her threads with us.

Kate: all the above, and Wife of Joseph May; Daughter of Craig and Martha (née Carr) Kennerly; Sister of William (Stacey), Andrew (Jessica) and Benjamin.

Relatives and friends are invited to the Visitation Saturday November 15, 2025, from 10am to 11am at Scanlin McDonald Funeral Home 175 East Butler Avenue Chalfont, PA 18914 followed by the Funeral Service at 11am at the Funeral Home.

In lieu of flowers donations to Worthwhile.org would be appreciated.