Kathleen M. Jurewicz, 65, passed away peacefully at home in Conway, South Carolina on Sunday February 22, 2026.

Kathy was born in Colorado Springs, Colorado to the late Lee M. Boyle Piper (Hale) and the late Kevin E. Boyle. In her younger years she traveled with her family extensively overseas courtesy of the United States Air Force residing in Okinawa and the Philippines returning intermittently to Air Force bases in Michigan and Florida. The family ultimately settled in Toms River, New Jersey where she graduated from Toms River South High School. Kathy earned her undergraduate degree at Ohio University in Athens, Ohio and attended Ball State University in Muncie, Indiana where she earned a master's degree in Gerontology.

Kathy was wed to Mark E. Jurewicz on September 6, 1986 and resided first in Hawthorne, New Jersey before settling in Pompton Plains to raise their family. She suspended her career in favor of becoming a permanent substitute teacher in the Pequannock Township School District as Megan and then Patrick entered North Boulevard School, which allowed her to work on the same schedule as her children. She insisted on keeping both children active and developed countless relationships in the process – Megan with Irish Step Dance, town and club swimming, girl scouts and high school marching band, and Patrick with Taekwondo, travel soccer, town and club swimming, cub scouts and high school marching band.

Kathy loved her time working in the school system getting to know the students that would become her children's friends and frequent visitors to pool parties, barbeques and volleyball games. She was an active girl scout leader and cub scout den mother, a constant supporter of her children as Megan attained her girl scout Gold Award and as Patrick attained his boy scout rank of Eagle. The high school music program and marching band was a common interest of both children, so Kathy became a band parent managing the pit-crew supporting the high school marching band for over ten years.

Kathy enjoyed preparing elaborate feasts for Thanksgiving and Christmas. Her recipes for cranberry sauce and numerous varieties of pierogi were thankfully written down and live on through Megan and Patrick.

She loved to entertain, whether barbeque/pool parties at home with upwards of 200 people or football tailgate parties with a mere 100 of her children's friends. Tailgate parties at Penn State were day-long events not to be missed. Often starting at 6am with Taylor Ham, Egg & Cheese after an early morning drive from New Jersey, they continued well after the parking lots cleared when the marinated thinly sliced London broil steak faithfully made its appearance. Everyone knew the food schedule, and nobody wanted to miss the pierogi, always wondering what new variety awaited them.

Kathy never forgot a birthday or significant life event and found joy in choosing the perfect gifts for an ever-expanding number of Easter baskets and Christmas stockings for her children, their college friends and roommates, and of course her grandchildren who were her true passion for the last several years of her life.

Kathy was preceded in death by her siblings Patrick and Sharon Boyle and by her niece Riley Boyle.

She is survived by her husband Mark of thirty-nine years; children Megan and husband Clark, and Patrick and fiancée Hayley; grandchildren Colin and Norah; and four of her siblings, Maureen, John, Timothy and Brian.

Family and friends will begin gathering at 9:00am for a 10:00am Mass on Saturday May 9, 2026 at Our Lady of the Magnificat Church, 2 Miller Road in Kinnelon, New Jersey. A live stream of the Mass will be available at OLMCHURCH.ORG/LIVE-STREAMING. 

Please sign the virtual guestbook at watsonfuneralservices.com.