Kathryn "Kay" Maloney

March 14, 1918 - December 24, 2019

AURORA — Kathryn “Kay” Lillian Stephenson Maloney will be missed by Karen Maloney and her husband, Robert Carpenter, James “Jay” Maloney and his wife, Amy; her granddaughters, Paige, Jackie, Kelly, and Emily, and the families of her nieces and nephews.

She was born in Alton, Ill. to Joseph and Emily Stephenson, with older siblings, Edward and Monica. An avid pursuer of education, Kay received her undergraduate degree from Shurtleff College in Illinois, and a Master’s degree in Hygiene and Physical Education from Wellesley College in Massachusetts. After teaching at Alabama College and the University of Wisconsin, Kay arrived in Aurora, N.Y. in 1946, accepting a teaching position at Wells College, in the Physical Education Department. In Aurora she met James W. Maloney, to whom she was married for 39 years until his death in 1986. Together they raised two children, Karen Maloney, of Chestnut Hill, Mass., and James W. Maloney Jr., of Brunswick, Maine. She was proud of her four granddaughters, Dr. Paige K. Kretschmar, Jacqueline K. Maloney, Kelly A. Kretschmar, and Emily E. Maloney. “Grandmother” or “G-Mom,” as the girls called her, encouraged and supported her granddaughters during their educational and career paths, hosted them in Aurora, and took them on adventures, from backyard picnics to ocean cruises. Kay worked under nine Wells College presidents through a 50 year career with the college. During her tenure at Wells, she served as Professor of Physical Education, coach of multiple varsity sports, and Associate Dean of Students. Under her guidance, the college began its Wellness Program. Her field hockey teams were successful for many seasons. Tennis and swimming were her passions. Few days passed without Kay on the courts, swimming at the college dock, or doing her laps in the Wells pool. Any Sunday of football season would find her television tuned to whatever game she could find. Her son-in-law, Bob Carpenter (West Point ’67), treated her to a West Point-Baylor football weekend that she never forgot. Active in the Village of Aurora, Kay was a member of the Thursday Club, an avid bridge player, and founder and instructor of a Water Aerobics program for the community. She rode her bicycle, and later a tricycle, both with large carry baskets, to and from the college, Dory’s, or the post office. Kay’s love of learning and travel led her to many parts of the U.S., Canada, and Europe, and she participated in Elderhostel‘s flight simulation and art history programs. She loved traveling to Maine and Massachusetts to see her family, vacationing often in Aruba, and exploring numerous Caribbean islands.

At the request of the family there will be no services. 

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to two of Kay’s favorite organizations: The Aurora Volunteer Fire Department, P.O. Box 71, Aurora, NY 13026 or Spaulding Rehabilitation Hospital Corporation, 1575 Cambridge St., Cambridge, MA 02138.

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