With deep sorrow, we share the passing of Kathleen Frances Dunleavy, RN — known affectionately as Kady — on June 6, 2025, in Orange County, California. Kady was a beloved mother, friend, nurse, educator, and devoted member of her community.
Born on May 18, 1948, at Lennox Hill Hospital on Park Avenue in New York City, Kady was the eldest of six children and the first grandchild in the Dunleavy family. She was the cherished daughter of John and Frances Gilmartin Dunleavy, and older sister to Tim, Margaret, Sean, Mary Elizabeth, and Declan.
Kady’s passion for learning and caring for others shaped her life from an early age. She graduated from Mother Butler Memorial Girls High School in 1966 and went on to earn her nursing degree from D’Youville College in Buffalo, NY, in 1970. She furthered her education with an advanced nursing degree from New York University in 1973.
Her professional journey began where her life had begun — Lennox Hill Hospital in Manhattan — where she worked as a pediatric nurse. She later joined NYU Medical Center in the Murray Hill neighborhood, continuing in pediatric care while earning her master’s degree at NYU.
Kady’s adventurous spirit took her across the country. She served as head nurse in the neonatal intensive care unit at Tulane University Medical Center in New Orleans, then moved west to work as a private duty nurse at John Wayne Hospital in Orange County, California. Later, driven by a commitment to service, she accepted a special grant to help build a clinic for the Hoopa Indian Reservation in Northern California.
In 1998, she settled in Ferndale, California, and began a new chapter as an instructor in the Registered Nursing Program at the College of the Redwoods, where she shared her knowledge and love of pediatrics with first-year nursing students. Around 1999, Kady’s life was forever enriched when she welcomed her daughter, Cody.
Kady was deeply spiritual and active in her faith. She served as a Eucharistic Minister at St. Joseph Catholic Church and later became a Secular Franciscan. In retirement, she continued to give back to her community as a volunteer chaplain and Eucharistic Minister at Redwood Memorial Hospital in Fortuna.
A lifelong lover of travel, Kady explored Ireland and many parts of Europe. She cherished visits with family in New York and loved attending Broadway musicals, as well as shows in San Francisco and Sacramento.
A Celebration of Life will be held in her honor on June 29, 2025, from 1:30 PM to 4:00 PM at 1011 Meadow Lane, Fortuna, CA. Please join us in remembering Kady with joy. In lieu of traditional mourning attire, we kindly request guests to wear light or pastel colors — especially her favorites: lavender and purple. Finger foods are welcome.
For questions, please contact Irma Silva at (707) 682-6769.
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The obituary above was submitted on behalf of Kathleen Dunleavy’s loved ones. The Lost Coast Outpost runs obituaries of Humboldt County residents at no charge. See guidelines here.
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