Kathleen Ann Conway Grady: August 6, 1946 - January 3, 2026

Kathy lived her life as the calm center in the hurricane of a large Irish Catholic family. The oldest of nine children to Marge and Jack Conway of Rocky River; she was another mother to her 8 younger siblings, as well as scores of cousins and neighbors. Kathy’s favorite word was “balance” preferring to spend quality time with those she loved over most anything else. A cup of tea, a table full of people she loved, and sharing stories was her idea of heaven.

She is in heaven today with some of her favorite people, who are sitting at a table now, ready to receive her, including her parents Marge and Jack Conway, her sister Susan Conway Grimberg and her husband, Bill Grimberg, her cousin Rita Ann Patton Gaertner, her recently departed brother-in-law, Sean Sullivan, and her beautiful baby daughter, Maureen Grady among them.

Kathy and her 8 siblings grew up on Homeland Drive in Rocky River, where at the height of the Baby Boom, there were reported to be 100 children roaming free. She was a tomboy in her youth but often was called off the baseball field with the distant shout of her mother, singing “Kathy! Come get the baby!” Kathy grew so adept at taking care of children at a young age, that her grade school, St. Christopher, gave her an office in the fifth grade and the title of “school nurse.”

Later in life, that devotion came full circle in a role reversal, as her husband Mike cared for her over the past decade with a tenderness beyond anything one could have imagined. The words of selflessness and sacrifice have been redefined.

Kathy was endlessly creative. She sewed her own wedding dress when she and Michael (Mike) Grady wed on Thanksgiving Day, November 25, 1971, and she painstakingly designed and sewed taffeta skirts for her 5 bridesmaids. When she became Nana, she then turned her wedding dress into baptismal gowns for grandkids. She was endlessly creative and entrepreneurial and could have brokered a deal on Shark Tank if it was around back in the day.

The epitome of a laid-back mother, her wisdom on raising children was beyond wise. Not one to give unsolicited advice, Kathy was simply the voice of reason, dubbed by many as “the sage one.” To new mothers: “If you and the baby are both alive at the end of the day, you’ve done your job. Don’t worry about the house, the dishes, or the laundry. It all can wait.” To mothers driving themselves crazy with perfectionism: “Most times, 80% is good enough.” She was “grace under pressure” personified. Kathy continued her parents’ tradition of weekly dinner gatherings, but changed it to Sunday morning brunches for her children and grandchildren.

Kathy passed away peacefully in her home, surrounded by family. She is survived by legions of those who loved her. Her husband of 55 years, Michael Grady of Westlake, Ohio. Her 4 children: Patrick Grady (Anne, nee Garagiola); Bridget Grady Couture (Matt); Daniel Grady (Adrienne Miller); Matthew Grady (Clare nee Wallenhorst); Her 9 grandchildren: Mary Kate Grady, Michael Grady, Caroline Grady; Dawit Couture, Tess Couture; Andie Grady; Tommy Grady, Liam Grady, Jimmy Grady. Her siblings: Patrick Conway (Jeanne), Therese Conway Moltz (Francis), Mark Conway (Mary Ellen), James Conway (Mary Carol), Joseph Conway (Debra), Daniel Conway (Eorann), and Mary Conway Sullivan.

Funeral mass Saturday, January 10, 2026, St. Ladislas Church (2345 Bassett Rd., Westlake, OH 44145) at 11 AM. LIVESTREAM LINK. Please meet at church. Friends may call CHAMBERS FUNERAL HOME of NORTH OLMSTED 29150 LORAIN RD at STEARNS RD., FRIDAY 3-7 PM, JANUARY 9. Private interment Ohio Western Reserve National Cemetery. 

In lieu of flowers or donations, we invite you to take your family out for ice cream and remember Nana fondly.