Kathleen “Kate” Rebecky

Kathleen “Kate” D. Rebecky (McQuillan), age 64, of Hawthorne and a former longtime resident of Wayne, passed away unexpectedly at home on Wednesday, July 7, 2021.

Born in Passaic and raised in Wallington, Kate was the middle child and only daughter of Joseph and Rose (Waddleton) McQuillan. She was a graduate of Wallington High School Class of 1975 and a captain of the majorettes for the school’s Panthers.

Kate and her husband Richard met at a party through mutual best friends who happened to be siblings. They quickly shared a tender infatuation and dated a mere six months before concluding they wanted to spend the rest of their lives together. Kate and Rich tied the knot three months later on Saturday, September 6, 1980 at the Bible Baptist Church in Lodi. Rich’s brother Joe officiated the ceremony as pastor. After a beautiful reception at The Landmark in East Rutherford, the newlyweds honeymooned in Bermuda. Initially settling in Clifton, they soon moved to East Rutherford where they lived for twelve years and welcomed their one son and three daughters – CJ, Ryann, Melissa, and Samantha. In 1996, this family of six moved to Wayne. After a cherished marriage of almost 40 years, sadly, Rich passed away a year ago in February, 2020. Kate remained in their home in Wayne until just moving this past May to Hawthorne to be with her daughter Melissa.

After high school, Kate took classes for certification as an x-ray technician. She worked at Passaic General Hospital in Passaic for several years before giving it up in the mid-1980’s to devote herself to fulltime care of her children. It’s been said that “Life doesn’t come with a manual, it comes with a mother.” Well, Kate’s kids mourn her loss but celebrate all the goodness and blessings that Kate selflessly gave. Kate lived for her family. A Girl Scout leader, softball coach, class mom, member of the PTO and PTA, she was the consummate super mom when they were young. While she rarely said “No”, when disciplining was necessary (if her kids heard the jangling of the bangles around her wrist they knew she was coming to get em, and if she pointed her finger at them, they knew they better listen) she was not afraid to set boundaries. But, while every kid sometimes needs those boundaries, Kate’s love, guidance and affection was always boundless. Kate was the go-to person, no matter what the situation. In adulthood, her relationship with her kids became more of “best friends” and her daughters even affectionately referred to her as “Kateygurls”. It was a perpetual open house at the Rebecky’s. Her children’s friends were always welcome. Consequently, the house and the swimming pool were often full.

Every summer Kate, Rich and the kids would vacation at their summer home down in Hilton Head, SC. Quite frankly, Kate was no lover of the hot weather but, she selflessly went because of her greater love for her family’s happiness. The blessing of grandchildren only added to the people that Kate had the opportunity to love. She adored her grandsons Noah and Colt and was looking so forward to the much anticipated birth of her first granddaughter. Kate’s friends were like family to her and many of those friends were life-long. Though her heart was broken when Rich passed away, she was just starting to move on and had been looking forward to some travel with those great friends.  

If you wanted to get the pulse on something, just ask Kate. With her iPad in hand, she was Facebook’s best friend, always keeping up on the latest. And while she loved to hear about a good scuttlebutt, she usually erred on the side of wisdom choosing not to get involved. With her favorite drink, Canada Dry Ginger Ale by her side, Kate enjoyed countless hours playing Words with Friends. In fact, she was playing the night before her passing. A bit of a hippie at heart, Kate was a true free spirit. When mildly frustrated, instead of saying “shoot”, she would often say “Jiminy Cricket”! Her musical tastes were rather eclectic but her tender heart seemed to be drawn to songs with lyrics that would move her.

If there was a lottery for winning great parents, Kate and Rich’s kids would gratefully tell you that they hit the Mega Millions jackpot with theirs. Kate will be missed dearly by family and friends whose lives she touched in countless ways.

Kate was the beloved wife of Richard Rebecky, blessed in marriage for 39 years until his passing in February, 2020. She was the most loving mother of CJ Rebecky of Providence, RI, Ryann Jodoin and husband Colt of West Milford, Melissa Rebecky and fiancé Joel Morales of Hawthorne, and Samantha Rebecky of Wayne; adoring grandmother “MA” of Noah Perez, Colt Jodoin, Jr. and her soon-to-be-born granddaughter whose name is still a secret; dearest sister of Mac McQuillan and late wife Chickie of Rutherford and David McQuillan and wife Michelle of Vernon; and dear aunt of numerous nieces and nephews.

In lieu of flowers, donations may be made in Kathleen’s name to Aids Project Rhode Island (apri) P.O. Box 6688  Providence, RI 02940-6688 (aidsprojectri.org),  or to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital, Memorial Processing, 501 St. Jude Place, Memphis, TN 38105-9959 (www.stjude.org).