ORWELL — Kathleen R. (Kenney) Cassanelli, 70, passed away on June 24, 2022, at University of Vermont Medical Center. 

She was born in Springfield, Mass., on Aug. 18, 1951, the daughter of the late Edward and Angela (Pio) Kenney. She grew up in Springfield, graduating from Cathedral High School in 1969. The following year she married her high school sweetheart, Stephen Cassanelli with whom she would spend the next 51 years. They settled in Agawam, Mass., where they raised their two children. 

Once the kids were big enough, Kathleen began studying at Westfield State College, where she graduated summa cum laude. She then began working as a reporter, writing about local news and politics for the Agawam Advertiser News. Following that, she became a patient and dedicated English teacher at Agawam Junior High School, where she worked for 14 years. 

After retiring from teaching, she and her husband moved to Orwell, Vt., to live on the shores of Lake Champlain, where they enjoyed the natural beauty and peace of their back porch —  watching the boats, water birds, and brilliant sunsets together. Kathleen was a very skilled quilter and loved to decorate her home with her beautifully crafted needlework or present pieces to friends as gifts. Her other hobbies included crochet, wine, reading, cooking, and enjoying the company of her friends and family. Besides her parents, she was predeceased by her siblings James E. Kenney and Cynthia Kenney, and her aunt, Grace Pio. 

To cherish her memory, Kathleen leaves her husband; her daughter, Lisa Cassanelli; her son, David Cassanelli and his significant other, Elyssa Arevalo; her brother, Stephen O. Kenney and his wife, Debra, of Orwell, Vt.; and her brother James’s wife, Patricia of Wilmington, N.C.

Family and friends are invited to the Colonial Forastiere Funeral and Cremation in Agawam, Mass., on Thursday, June 30, from 4-6:30 p.m., followed by a funeral home service at 6:30 pm. 

In lieu of flowers Memorial contributions may be made to the American Lung Association, National Direct Response, PO Box 756, Osceola WI 54020-0756. For more details and to share condolences please visit www.forastiere.com.◊