Kathleen F. Harty

FITCHBURG - Dr. Kathleen F. Harty, passed peacefully away on Tuesday, Nov. 27, 2018, at the Attic Angels Health Center. Born to Thomas Monks and Katherine (Keeley) Fahey on April 5, 1932, Kathleen was the youngest of three sisters in the Fahey family. Her paternal great-grandparents, James and Bridget White Monks, came from Ireland and settled on Irish Lane in 1855, owning some 500 acres there. Raised on one of them, Kathleen was the consummate farm girl. Her love of horses started young and continued throughout her life, especially on the first Saturday every May when the mint juleps were strong, My Old Kentucky Home was mournfully sweet, and the horses crossed the finish line in a thunderous blaze of glory at Churchill Downs. As a child, Kathleen was blessed with a retinue of adoring relatives, most of whom lived nearby. From baby lambs gently placed by her uncles in the strawberry patch on Easter mornings to much-anticipated shopping trips to Downtown Madison with aunts and cousins, to extended family Sunday suppers filled with warmth and love, Kathleen was grounded in her family. She left home to attend UW-Whitewater and went on to earn two degrees from her beloved Alma Mater. Her devotion to Whitewater was considerable and in 1978 she was elected national president of the UW-Whitewater Alumni Association for a two-year term. Upon her undergraduate graduation, she moved to Janesville and taught at Jackson Elementary School for more than five years. While there, she met Charles Harty and they married in 1959. While the marriage was short-lived, it produced a son, Robert, who lived with Kathleen and her parents on the family farm. Kathleen’s professional career boasts many achievements. She was an elementary school teacher at Glendale in Madison and went on to serve as a curriculum coordinator for the Madison Public Schools, specializing in reading and early childhood education. After obtaining her Ph.D. from UW-Madison, Kathleen was named Principal of Midvale Elementary School, where she served from 1975-1988. While at Midvale, she was named Wisconsin’s first-ever Principal of the Year in 1983, and on October 6th, the Wisconsin Assembly adjourned in her honor. She later moved to Gompers Elementary where she was principal until retiring in 1989 due to worsening arthritis. Professionally, Kathleen was a member of the Madison Area Reading Council, Madison Association of School Administrators (past president), Association of School Administrators, Commission on Elementary Schools, Association for Supervision and Curriculum Development, National Association Elementary School Principals, Delta Kappa Gamma, and Phi Delta Kappa. She was also a member of the Fitchburg Historical Society, Fitchburg Commission on Aging, Fitchburg Mothers’ Club, and Oregon Town & Country Women’s Club. At HMC Catholic Church in Oregon, Kathleen was the long-time director of the gum tree, a popular booth at the parish’s annual fundraiser, and also sang in the choir for many years. When she wasn’t working, Kathleen enjoyed fishing, horse racing, every Wisconsin-based sports team, Concerts on the Square, arts festivals, and dining out with friends. She was especially fond of the Mariner’s Inn and her family’s Bonfyre restaurant. Kathleen is survived by her son, Robert (Mona) Harty; two granddaughters, Kamryn and Carolyn; and dozens of nieces, nephews, grand-nieces, and grand-nephews whom she adored. A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at HOLY MOTHER OF CONSOLATION CATHOLIC CHURCH, 651 North Main Street, Oregon at 11:00 a.m., on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, with Monsignor Thomas Baxter and Father Gary Wankerl concelebrating. Visitation will be held at GUNDERSON FITCHBURG FUNERAL AND CREMATION CARE, 2950 Chapel Valley Road, Fitchburg on Thursday, Dec. 6, 2018, from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. with a Rosary service at 6:45 p.m. and also at the church on Friday, Dec. 7, 2018, from 9:30 a.m. until time of Mass. She loved flowers. So, if you’d like to make a gift of them please do so. If you prefer charitable donations, please donate in Kathleen’s name to Holy Mother of Consolation Church, Edgewood Grade School, the Fitchburg Historical Society, or the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Alumni Association. May God Bless. Online condolences may be made at www.gundersonfh.com.