On July 4, 2024, Kate Koski (née Mary Kathleen Moore, nickname “Kathey”) died peacefully in her home, after being surrounded by family and friends.
She was born on September 24, 1943, at Ft. Warren, Wyoming. Over the next eight years, she moved with her family to Ft. Collins, CO; Chevy Chase, MD; Ft. Lewis, WA; Elmendorf Air Force Base, AK (where, at the age of six, she met her lifetime friend and future sister-in-law, Zelda Rippe); and Los Gatos, CA, where her father retired from the Army.
She spent the next nine years there, except for her sophomore year, when she and her parents lived in Malaga, Spain. There she developed a life-long fascination with the country and its language, becoming fluent in Spanish. She graduated from Los Gatos High School in 1960, then moved to Spain for several years, working and studying, before returning to work in California and then Massachusetts. There she met Neal Koski, and the two became partners, with Kate taking his surname. Their work took them to Utah, where their son, Rendall, was born (1969), and from there to Seattle and eventually to San Francisco.
In 1978, they moved to Virginia, and separated the next year, Kate moving to Springfield, MA with Rendall. After completing her bachelor’s degree at Springfield College, Kate moved to Newfane, VT, to get her Masters Degree from the School for International Training. She moved back to Springfield to study at the University of Massachusetts Amherst’s University Without Walls (UWW), where she earned a doctorate in education. With her background in Spanish studies, she focused on intercultural communications in a workplace environment, becoming a consultant for businesses. She also taught courses for several years at UWW, and started a program of community outreach for disadvantaged students.
On August 22, 1998, she married her long-time romantic partner, Rich Provencher, and moved to Enfield, CT. She continued to do her consulting and teaching until 2012, when she and Rich retired to Pine Run in Osprey, FL. For several years prior to that, the two of them had spent several winters snowbirding at the Yacht Club Apartments in Venice, FL, where they fell in love with that area of Florida.
She became actively involved in community activities in Pine Run, serving on the condo board for over ten years. She researched and presented two successful matching grant proposals to Sarasota County. One was for a new outdoor light system to reduce light pollution. Another was for removal of invasive plant growth in the Pine Run common areas. She was working hard on a new proposal for a natural fence. She always listened to the Community and worked for the common good of Pine Run. Her rich professional background in managing negotiations was invaluable.
She also served as president of the Pine Run Social Club and was very active in organizing social events. She loved to dance, enjoyed trivia contests and was an avid mahjong player. She tutored Spanish speaking adults in English. She often commented how much she loved Pine Run and all the friendly people who live and snowbird there.
A charming and heartfelt response from one of Pine Run’s residents:
“Kate made so many positive changes to Pine Run and the Social Club. She spoke clearly and always had an understandable answer to any question that someone in Pine Run was wondering about.”
She was pre-deceased by her husband Rich (2019). She is survived by, among others, her son, Rendall Koski, and Rendall’s son, Kauko (Lahti, Finland); her son in-law and daughter in-law, Richard and Liz Provencher, and their two children: son, Richard Provencher III, and daughter, Regann DiCamillo (Enfield, CT); her sister and brother-in-law, Anne and Red Golden (Walla Walla, WA); and her brother and sister-in-law, David and Zelda Moore (Durham, NH); plus many cousins and nieces and nephews.