Mrs. Kathryn Rose (Kathy) McDermott

Mrs. Kathryn Rose (Kathy) passed away January 17, 2024 at the age of 74. Born on December 16, 1949 in Milwaukee, WI she is survived by her husband of 48 years, Thomas B. McDermott of Fountain Hills, AZ. She is also survived by 15 cousins, one uncle, two brothers in law, two sisters in law, two nieces, five nephews, four great nephews, and three great nieces. Preceding her death were her parents, Joseph M. Becker and Martha (Ehlinger) Becker, and numerous aunts and uncles.
Kathy graduated from Milwaukee Washington High School in 1967 and enrolled at the University of Wisconsin-Oshkosh where she earned her BBA degree with magna cum laud honors in 1971. Kathy worked the next 10 years in marketing at Milwaukee Mutual Insurance Co. and then switched careers from insurance to HR and personnel. She worked in this field for the next 34 years as a national accounts manager for Manpower Inc. at their national headquarters in Milwaukee, retiring in 2015.
She loved cooking and baking and playing the piano. Her favorite hobby was being a sports fan. She studied baseball at both the major and minor league level, especially the Milwaukee Brewers. College football and basketball were both a joy to her. Her love for the Green Bay Packers was never ending.
Late in life she was diagnosed with Parkinson’s Disease. Several other medical conditions arose on top of that and her time was largely spent at home. From late 2021 until her passing in 2024 she was greatly assisted by the medical staff at Honor Medical Shea and the staff at Fountain Hills Post Acute.
A Visitation will be held at Messinger Fountain Hills Mortuary on Friday, February 16th from 6-8 PM with a scripture service at 7 PM. A funeral mass will be at Church of the Ascension in Fountain Hills on Saturday, February 17th at 10 AM followed by a burial at Paradise Memorial Gardens in Scottsdale.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a monetary donation to the Church of the Ascension.