Kathleen Marie (DiGiacomo) McCloskey, age 71, of Virginia Beach, VA formerly of Berwyn, PA.  Kathy passed away peacefully on January 1, 2023, with family by her side.  She was preceded in death by her parents, Louis and Margaret (Marge) DiGiacomo and brother, John DiGiacomo.  She leaves behind her devoted husband of almost 51 years, Dennis McCloskey.  She is also survived by her devoted children: Kelley (William) Lanyi of Lansdale, PA; Keith (Yeva) McCloskey of Santa Monica, CA; and Kate (Ric) Sanchez of Orlando, FL.  She was the adored grandmother (Maime) of Kylie, Savannah, Jonathan, Cole, Jacob, and Gia.  She is also lovingly survived by many friends that she considered family.

Kathy, the youngest of two kids, grew up in Berwyn and graduated from Conestoga High School in 1969.  During her high school years, she participated in clubs to spend time with friends. She was even in the ski club but chatty Kathy spent more time in the lodge with friends than on the slopes. She played table tennis for fun, but was so good she might have made the US Olympic team if that had been an option in her day. In 1972, Kathy married a longtime family friend that had eventually won her heart despite being a short-haired military man when that wasn't seen as cool.  After living in various Navy Base locales and having two kids, Kathy's soon to be expanding family bought a house in Middle Plantation in 1980 where she lived for the rest of her life when not traveling or escaping the cold at their condo in Florida.  The enduring friendships and lasting memories that she and Dennis created in their 50 years together are irreplaceable.

Kathy loved to play bridge and go to the cinema. She loved many types of movies except for science fiction much to Dennis dismay.  Despite being an excellent cook, she loved to eat at restaurants.  She wasn't afraid to send back poorly prepared food.  Many times she brought home the leftovers with the best of intentions, but found something else she wanted the next day.

Kathy loved to shop.  She never met a sale she didn't like.  She loved to return and tell Dennis or anyone who would listen about her savings.  She enjoyed haggling during port calls on the many cruises she took with family and friends.  In her later years, she became interested in politics and served as a poll worker.

As a teenager, Kathy worked as a volunteer candy striper at Bryn Mawr Hospital.  She worked towards a Hospitality degree but ended up graduating with an associates degree in early childhood education. While pursuing her degree, she worked as a sales clerk at Children of Eng kid's clothing store and at Peebles Department Store in the children's department.  She fell in love with retail, working with people, and children's clothing.  In 1984, she decided to follow her heart and bought a children's clothing store which she expanded and renamed Kids Kids Kids.  She operated the store for 22 years until finally closing it in 2006 to spend more time with her kids and their expanding families.

Kathy was a very strong-willed woman who fiercely defended those close to her.  She liked to make friends wherever she happened to be.  Her family could usually count on hearing about her seatmate when picking her up at the airport.  Kathy loved to host and attend parties with her many friends.  She was a big Disney World fan who took her family many times through the years.  Therefore, it is appropriate that her final cruise and first Disney cruise took place in December 2022 after she finally forgave Disney for not having an onboard casino.

The loss of our mom and Maime has broken our hearts, but we trust that God has called her and wrapped his arms around her.  We will miss her terribly, because she brought life and joy everywhere she went.

Relatives and friends are invited to attend a Memorial Mass at her home parish, Saint Nicholas Catholic Church at 712 Little Neck Road, Virginia Beach, VA 23452 on Saturday, January 7, 2023 at 11:00 AM followed by social hour for family and friends to reminiscence how Kathy touched their lives.

Relatives and friends are also invited to attend her viewing on Tuesday, January 10, 2023, from 10 AM to 11:30 AM at the FOSTER-WARNE FUNERAL HOME, 250 White Horse Pike, Audubon, NJ.  Graveside committal prayers and interment will follow at 12:00 PM at New Saint Mary's Cemetery and Mausoleum at 515 West Browning Road, Bellmawr, NJ.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kathy's memory to the Leukemia & Lymphoma Society at https://donate.lls.org .