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Obituary of Mary Kathleen Chera
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Obituary for Mary Kathleen Chera, age 78 of Clifton Park, NY
"If not me, who? If not now, when?" Kathy was the embodiment of this quote. A doer - a good natured, selfless, pillar of strength right up until her sudden passing on Saturday, January 18, 2025.
Born to the late Richard and Ida Kelley in 1946, Mary Kathleen Chera grew-up alongside her younger brother Kevin in Scotia, NY. To hear her tell it, Kathy spent much of her childhood practicing the piano, honing her ballet skills, gardening with her father, climbing trees, and of no fault of her own (wink wink), getting herself into mischief.
Whether it was her work ethic, her soothing musical stylings or that twinkle of mischief in her eye, Charles (Chuck) Chera knew from the beginning that she was the one for him. The very beginning. Born three days apart in the same hospital, Chuck and Kathy were nursery mates. Decades later Chuck liked to joke that he, "sat up, gave her a wink, and said 'See ya in 20 years, toots!'" Preceding her in death in December, 2020 there's no doubt he welcomed her again with that wink and a smile.
Married on February 7, 1969, they had 51 eventful years together. She supported him in his many charitable endeavors, often pitching in behind the scenes. Together they went onto raise their fearsome foursome - MaryBeth Foster (Herb), Terri Chera (Greg), Joe Chera (Kate) and Laura Galchin (Justin). Kathy could always be found cheering them on at their sporting events, clapping exuberantly at their concerts, challenging their boardgame prowess, helping them create the most elaborate school projects or solving those extra tricky math problems. They are eternally grateful for the love, confidence and tools she gave them to succeed and thrive.
In her professional life Kathy became a music teacher, first at Hackett Middle School in Albany, then teaching at schools in Pittsburgh, PA, Hartford, CT and finally as a substitute at Shenendehowa Central Schools. Kathy then shifted gears closing out the last decades of her career in the financial services industry. How she balanced running a household, never leaving her family wanting for time and attention, working full-time and studying for her Series 7 exam, we'll never know, but she did and did it all with humor (she loved a good pun!) and grace.
In her retirement years she couldn't sit still. Always active, you could find her "playing" in the yard - tending to the flowers and bushes and mowing the lawn in perfect straight lines. She was an avid reader, watcher of YouTube (always learning) and a connoisseur of peanut butter and fish tacos…just never together. Over the last several years she taught herself Spanish and recently picked up playing the piano again. For hours a day she could be found rocking out with Billy Joel as well as practicing her childhood signature classical piece, Malaguena. Kathy could often be found traversing the neighborhood in Clifton Park or heading down to "her ocean" in Pacific Beach, walking sticks in hand and her watch tracking her closely monitored step count!
Her greatest joy though was being Grammy to seven grandchildren - Ellie, Sarah, and Jake Foster; Lilliana, Jack, and Kayla Galchin; and Vivienne Chera. She was so proud of the young adults the older ones have become and enjoyed the silly FaceTime banter or in-person play dates with the younger ones. She absolutely adored them, and they adored her.
It filled our hearts to see her interact with all those she loved with that big, beautiful smile. In addition to her children and grandchildren, she is survived by a number of loving brothers and sisters (by both birth and marriage) and numerous nieces and nephews.
Relatives and friends may greet the family on Saturday, February 8, 2025 from 10am to 12:00pm with a service at noon at Catricala Funeral Home. Interment will be held in the spring.
In lieu of flowers, contributions may be made in Kathy's memory to St Jude Children's Research Hospital.

A Memorial Tree was planted for Mary
We are deeply sorry for your loss ~ the staff at Catricala Funeral Home Inc
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In Loving Memory
Mary Chera
1946 - 2025
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The Catricala Funeral Home Inc. is proudly owned and managed by Eric A. Catricala, and is staffed by Licensed Funeral Directors Jeremy S. Lindemann and Kevin V. Murphy
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Location
Catricala Funeral Home Inc.
1597 Route 9
Clifton Park, NY 12065
Tel: (518) 371-5334
Email: info@catricalafuneralhome.com