Obituary of Kathleen S Cool

Kathleen “Kathy” Cool a retired Registered Nurse passed away after a short illness on Tuesday, April 23, 2019.  She was 88 years old. Kathy was born in Waltham.  Her father, Andrew DeAmbrose, was an immigrant from Nova Scotia, Canada and her mother, Catherine (Slane) DeAmbrose, was an immigrant from Antrim, Ireland.  Kathy was one of six DeAmbrose children growing up in Waltham and graduating from St. Mary’s High School.  She went onto to earn her nursing degree at Catherine Laboure School of Nursing in Dorchester.  She had a very long career retiring as a nurse at the age of 72.  She worked at the Waltham Hospital for almost 10 years before taking a leave to have 4 sons.  She went back to work at the Woburn Rehabilitation Center from 1973 until 1982.  When the Lahey Clinic Medical Center opened in 1982 and it was walking distance from her home, she quickly applied and took a nursing position.  Over the years, she worked in all the various departments at the hospital.  She tried retiring at age 65, but she had too much energy to fully give up nursing.  So, she worked part time until the age of 72.  She was a fantastic nurse not only from a clinical standpoint, but as kind, caring, and loving individual who took time to comfort and connect with her patients and their families during their recoveries as well as the heartbreaking end of life conditions. 

Kathy and her husband, Ken, met at a dance when he was in the Air Force.  They were married in September of 1954.  They lived in Waltham for several years until they could afford their first and forever home in Burlington in 1959.  It was in that home, that she raised and cared for her 4 very active sons.  She cared for their cuts and bruises, encourage them in their life decisions, and loved them with her entire being.  She was deeply devoted to her husband of 59 years, Kenneth Cool.  His last years were difficult as he suffered from the effects of Alzheimer’s Disease and was infirmed at the Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital in Bedford.  Kathy would faithfully visit him twice a day.  When she couldn’t drive any longer, the staff at Burlington Taxi helped to get to her beloved Ken as well as all her other activities.  She was thrilled with the birth of each grandchild and great grandchild.  She was so proud of her family and grateful to them all that they untiringly worked to make sure she could remain in her home in her last years. 

Kathy was a woman who was full of energy and loved being out and about and involved in her community.  When her sons were in Pop Warner Football, she helped run the concessions.  She was an elected Burlington Town Meeting member for a number of years.  She was an avid golfer and a regular at the Country Club of Billerica.  She and Ken also traveled around the country to PGA tournaments to follow their favorite golfers.  She enjoyed partaking in many of the trips offered by the Burlington Recreation Department.  She loved to dance and she was a longtime active parishioner at St. Malachy’s Church.  She enjoyed weekends spent on the shores of Silver Lake in Hollis New Hampshire with her family and friends.  She always remembered birthdays of her children, grandchildren, friends, nieces, nephews, and great nieces and nephews. A birthday was not complete until you received a special card with the perfect sentiment and a little cash from Kathy. It was simply her sweet way of saying that each one and that they held a special place in her heart. 

        Kathy was the beloved wife of the late Kenneth D.  Loving mother of Michael & his wife Kimberly of Westford, Mark & his wife Sue of Cartersville, GA, Christopher & his wife Sue Brodeur of North Andover and Kenneth & his wife Sharyn Nolan of Waltham.  Sister of Joseph DeAmbrose & his wife Francine of Wayland and the late Mary Grimaldi, Patricia White, Andrew and Jerry DeAmbrose.  Sister-in-law of Carol DeAmbrose of Boxford and Joseph Grimaldi of Surry, ME.  Kathy is also survived by 8 grandchildren and 5 great grandchildren.  Visiting hours will be held at the Edward V Sullivan Funeral Home, 43 Winn St., BURLINGTON (Exit 34 off Rt. 128/95 Woburn side) on Wednesday, May 1 from 4-8 p.m.   Funeral from the Funeral Home on Thursday, May 2 at 9 a.m. Followed by a Mass of Christian Burial in St. Malachy’s Church, 99 Bedford St., Burlington at 10 a.m.  Burial will be private.  In lieu of flowers donation’s in Kathy’s name may be made payable to the Bedford VA Hospital for the GRECC program and can mailed to Chief, Voluntary Service (135), Edith Nourse Rogers Memorial Veterans Hospital, 200 Springs Road, Bedford, MA  01730. 

Family Remembrance

I, my brothers and families thank you for joining us in remembering our mother, Kathleen Susan Cool.

I would like to share something that my mother used to say to me.

“KC, I am your mother!”

Seeing how mom and I are a lot alike there was always ample room where we…I… would find ways to lock horns in some argument, mostly this is when
I was growing up and still didn’t understand that the word boss was spelled
with 3 letters: “M-O-M.”

It didn’t matter what the argument was about, how it started or who started it. It always ended with “I am your mother!” I am sure that my brothers didn’t escape this notification at times either. At this point the argument was over.

Later in life, in my 20’s and 30s mom and I still might have an argument at times. And that is when she would lower the boom sooner than later.
“KC, I am your mother!”

We would lock eyes, say nothing, stand our ground, then start laughing at
 the absurdity of it all.

She is my mother. She is our mother. Mother in Law, Grandmother, Great Grandmother, Aunt, Sister, Sister in Law, Wife.

Friend.

She was always there to rock me in her arms when as a child I could not sleep. She encouraged me to paint and draw from my earliest memories at three all the way to college. She let my brothers and I have a dog, just as long as she could name it. She was a Cub Scout Troop Leader for my group. She was there for all the important things, and all the other times we have forgotten she was there too.

One thing about mom was that she always remembered the good, and she didn’t dwell on the bad.

Perhaps that was due to her being a child of the Great Depression and WWII, and that for her generation only better times were ahead.

Perhaps it was that she married the love of her life, and had four wonderful boys, or perhaps it was due to her becoming a nurse and showing compassion for her patients.

Another thing about mom that was remarkable was her strength.
For somebody that was 5 feet and one-half inch tall she was really tough. She lived through four boys, 3 dogs, 3 cats, Diabetes, Congestive Heart Failure, a quadruple bypass, high-blood pressure bad breaks and sprains, while taking care of our dad when he needed it towards the end of his life. She was tough and bounced back. She wasn’t about to give up, and she fought for others as well.

She might have said that that what made her tough was her faith, but she didn’t preach about it. She was humble in that way.

She also remembered everybody’s birthday, anniversary, and the holidays, making sure to send everybody in her extended family a card to let them know she was thinking of them; keeping the family connections going. She would spend hours at Hallmark looking for the right cards, no kidding, to the delight of the staff who would ring up her order by the barrel full. (Corroborated by my brother Chris)

When she wasn’t sending out cards she was dancing with our dad, playing golf, traveling, talking with friends in the neighborhood or with Father Capucci at church. 

One of the best piece of advice that mom and dad ever gave me was about my then girlfriend. They told me to make sure she didn’t get away; that she was special. They could see it, and they were right. I took their advice and my now wife and I have a beautiful daughter, Kathleen; who is every inch as smart, compassionate and tough as her namesake.

Mom, you are loved, respected and now very much missed.

“You are my mother.” You get the last word on that.