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Kathryn T. Hegeman, Ed. D., formerly of Eastport, died on August 1, 2018, at the Highland Hospital Hospice Unit in Rochester. She was 85. She and her surviving husband of 64 years, Andrew, had recently moved from Eastport, their home for four decades, to the Rochester area to be near their daughter, Irene H. Richard, professor of neurology at the University of Rochester, during their declining years.
Born to John and Marcella Vail in New York City, during the height of the Great Depression in 1932, she attended the all-merit Hunter College in New York City after graduating from St. Nicholas of Tolentine Parochial School. In 1954, she married Mr. Hegeman, who had just been commissioned an ensign in the U.S. Navy. After a short assignment in Washington, D.C., where her husband attended Naval Intelligence School, they moved to the West Coast for his four years on active duty. The couple then returned to the East Coast, where they raised five children, Jenny, Mark, Paul, John and Irene; and later they were grandparents to five grandchildren, Shane, Luke, Caitlyn, Teryn and Jessica, who were a great source of pride and joy.
Among her many non-family accomplishments, Dr. Hegeman managed (while engaged as a full time teacher) to attain a bachelor’s degree, master’s degree and a doctorate in education from Columbia University Teacher’s College. A teacher at Remsenburg-Speonk Elementary School for more than two decades, she had always been keenly interested in the education of “the gifted and talented and the social skills and moral development of children, and during her writing career, authored a total of 26 books on those subjects.
Dr. Hegeman had an enormous, positive impact on all those who had the joy of knowing her, as well as those who have and will benefit from her dedication to the education and well-being of children.
A memorial service on Long Island will be planned for a later date.
Memorial donations may be made to Maryknoll Sisters, Ascent of Safed, or a charity of your choice.
on Aug 3, 2018