Kathryn Kearney Kokwe
OBITUARY
Kay Kokwe was born on June 10, 1940 and grew up in Dunmore, PA and died in Tucson, AZ on January 25, 2026 at the age of 85 after battling with cancer for several years. She was the first child of William J. and E. Virginia Kearney. She graduated from Dunmore High School in 1958, Penn State University in 1962 and taught art in high schools in Manville, and later Cherry Hill, New Jersey while earning a Master’s Degree in Education. But on an extended summer vacation to Oaxaca, Mexico her world expanded dramatically. She learned Spanish and avidly embraced a new and different culture. Initially she dutifully returned to her art teaching duties but the lure of other cultures prevailed and she embarked on what would become a worldwide tour of living and working in all corners of the globe.
She taught English as a second language in Oaxaca, Mexico for a few years and then in Sorocaba, Brazil where she learned Portuguese. Later while working in Egypt she met Misa Kokwe and they were married and lived for 8 years in his native Zambia prior to their divorce. Kay then worked in Kuala Lumpur, Malaysia for a few years before finally settling down in Tucson, AZ where she taught English at Pima Community College for 25 years.
She had an artist’s heart and adored traveling of all kinds. She painted and sculpted and was particularly proficient with pottery, always looking for a new and different approach. She had a life that sparkled with both cultural and intellectual curiosity and she made enduring friendships all over the world, always eager to engage with the people around her.
Kay is survived by her sister Carol Anne (Nan) Bell and husband David V. Bell of Wayzata, MN, her brother James Kearney and his wife, Linda Leaman of Lancaster, PA, as well as a niece, Beth Bell, who with her husband Chris Louisana lives in Eagan, MN and a nephew, Kevin Bell, who with his wife Jen Bell and their three children Jackson, Sabrina and Brady live in Roseville, MN. The family is extremely grateful to all her friends and caregivers who went above and beyond, helping Kay through this most difficult period. A memorial service is to be held in the spring in Tucson.
Kathryn Kearney Kokwe
January 25, 2026