Obituary of Kathy Marzec

Kathleen A. Marzec, 71, of Olean, passed away after a brief and courageous battle with cancer at Olean General Hospital on Friday, February 28th, 2025. She will forever be remembered as a loving mother, wife, sister, grandmother, aunt, cousin, friend, neighbor and nurse whose focus was always on what she could do to brighten up someone’s day or make their life a little easier. Kathy was born on June 9, 1953, in West Valley, the daughter of the late Frank and Elizabeth Milks, the owners and operators of the West Valley Hotel and later Delevan Liquors. She was the oldest of six siblings and attended West Valley Central School and later Pioneer Central School, where she graduated in 1971. After high school, while attending Alfred State and working at the Cattaraugus County Nursing Home in Machias, Kathy met her husband to be, Tom, and they were married in 1974. She received her associate’s degree from Alfred State and went on to attend St. James School of Nursing in Hornell, where she made some lifelong friends and earned a degree as a registered nurse in 1975. She relocated to Portsmouth, VA while Tom served in the Navy and began her career in Nursing at Portsmouth General Hospital. After the birth of their first child, they moved back to the WNY area and made Olean their home. Kathy continued her career at both Saint Francis Hospital and Olean General Hospital, where she was a med/surg nurse and later a head nurse for several years. During her tenure, Kathy took immense pride in her job and held herself, as well as her staff, to the highest standards. Her attention to detail and accountability were cornerstones of care that made an impact on countless patients. As she became a grandmother, Kathy chose to transition to the Pines Healthcare and Rehabilitation in Olean, where she continued to raise the standard of care, as well as become an instrumental mentor to many nurses under her charge. While she officially retired in 2019, she continued to work per diem at the Pines until she no longer could. While nursing was her career, her light shined brightest through the eyes of her grandchildren helping to raise each of them in different ways. They brought her endless joy, and she returned that joy to them in adventures and resulting memories. Within her small community of care, Kathy built a life filled with all the things she truly loved: her family, baking, gardening, sewing, walking, antiquing, community clean-up, and above all, being a cherished grandmother. She was a member of the St. Mary’s Parish, where she baked for and supported many fellow parishioners in times of need. Kathy served as a board member for several years on the Kathi Ward Foundation for the Practice of Nursing. Prior to its closure, she was also a member of the Archbishop Walsh Board of Trustees, where she remained long after her children had graduated from the institution. Kathy was a valued member of the Olean Beautification Committee, where her vision and ability to execute provided the committee a plan for planting flowers in the downtown area. As with many endeavors, her spirit of camaraderie brought a certain harmony to the committee. Her tireless efforts and passion took her a step further as she single-handedly took care of the Civil War and Gold Star Memorial gardens in Lincoln Park, as well as side gardens adjacent to the park. Kathy is survived by her husband, Thomas A. Marzec, children Jennifer A. (Christopher) Catanzaro of East Aurora, Ryan A. (Tara) Marzec of Horseheads, Brett A. (Tania) Marzec of Royal Palm Beach, and Megan A. (Christopher) Fee of Olean; five siblings: Jerome, Mary, Bryan, Bradley, and Colleen; grandchildren, Jackson, Sophia, Tucker, Porter, Cooper, Henley, Liam, Amada, Beau, and Isabelle. A funeral mass will take place at 10am on Friday, June 6, 2025, at the Basilica of St. Mary’s of the Angels Catholic Church, 119 West Henley Street, Olean, NY, celebrated by Pastor Chris Emminger. The mass will be followed by a reception and celebration of life in Lincoln Park. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the JCC Foundation PO Box 20 Jamestown, NY 14702-0020, indicating on your donation that it is in memory of Kathleen Marzec or via the following website: https://www.sunyjcc.edu/giving where you can choose directly to donate in her memory.