Kathryn Irene Rakowski

New Hampton, Kathryn P. Rakowski (Kay), 98, peacefully passed away at home, at sunrise, on March 19, 2019 with her son and daughter by her side. She was born in Shelburne, NH on Feb. 21, 1921 to Charles F. and Vivian (Jackson) Parker.

Kathryn graduated from Berlin High School in 1939 and then went on to The State Street Hospital School for Nurses in Portland, ME. In 1943 to become a Registered Nurse. She met her husband, Frank J. Rakowski, there at a USO Dance, where he was serving in the Navy during WWII and eventually got married on Sept. 15, 1944. They then moved to New York in 1947, with their two-year-old son, Frank Jr. as she worked at Doctors Hospital in NYC. Moving to Long Island in 1961, Kathryn, worked at Huntington Hospital and then at The Veteran's Hospital in Northport, NY, where she took care of the terminal ill and Leukemia cancer patients. Eventually, retiring from her job in 1985.

She moved to New Hampton in 1986 with her husband and built their retirement home next door to her daughter, Mary-Jo (MJ) Vien. After her husband's passing in 1989, she went back to work, part-time, at The Goldenview Nursing Home.

Kay enjoyed her vegetable garden and composting as she loved to watch and fed the birds. Her first winter back in NH she used 900 lbs. of black oil and thistle seed and enjoyed looking up in her book what birds came by to visit.

Kay was an excellent seamstress and while her son was serving in the Navy, during the Vietnam War, he would send her yards of material, wool, from Italy. She made beautiful suits and pill box hats to match, silks from Hong Kong, where she made all the formal dresses for her and Mary-Jo for many years.
She loved to cook and made at least one new recipe every week and always from scratch. Kay started cooking classes in the 1960's, so when her son came home on leave, he'd have a fabulous meal. She continued with weekend cooking classes with her daughter at The New England Culinary Institute and King Arthur Flour, where they got to learn from celebrity chefs. For many years she was a student of Barbara Lauterbach's cooking school in Center Harbor, NH.

Kay belonged to the Meredith 50 Plus Club from the start until it ended but loved all the activities and outings Carol Gerken had planned. Kay also went on many trips sponsored by MVSB, going every year to see the Rockettes at Radio City Music Hall, loved Branson and her last big trip to the Canadian Rockies. After that, most of her friends had passed, so she continued her bus trips with her son.

Kay was a member of St. Charles Church in Meredith and never missed mass, even on vacation as she was a member of the Rosary Makers Society. As a young girl she enjoyed skiing, she said a good day of skiing was when you could get 2 runs in, because back in those days you had to hike up the mountain.

Kathryn leaves behind her son, Frank Rakowski Jr. of Boston, MA and Mary-Jo Vien of New Hampton and her sister Doris Barker, 95, of St. Petersburg FL., along with many nieces and nephews.

Visitation will be at the Mayhew Funeral Home 204 DW Highway in Meredith on Thurs, 3/28, from 5-7 pm and on Sun, 3/31 from 4-6pm. A Mass of Christian Burial will be at St. Charles RC Church in Meredith on Mon, 4/1 at 10:30 am. Burial will be at Scared Heart Cemetery in Laconia on Sat June 1st, 2019 at 11am.