SOUTHPORT — Kathleen (Kathy) V. Fleming, nee Devine, died March 20, 2026 after a brief illness.
She was predeceased by her husband, Michael F. Fleming, her sister Mary Devine and her brother Edward Devine.
She is survived by her daughter Kathleen Fleming Gladstone and son-in-law Joshua Gladstone, her son Michael F. Fleming, Jr., her brothers Kevin Devine and David Devine, her nephews Conor Devine, Chris Devine, Sean Devine and Regan Devine, her nieces Aleisa Fleming Dunn and Annemarie Fleming Stenfors, and her beloved dog, Casper.
Kathy was born on March 27, 1944 in Brooklyn, NY and grew up in East Meadow, NY. She graduated from Clark High School in East Meadow in 1961 and from Mount St. VIncent University in Halifax, Nova Scotia, earning a degree in Nursing. She met her husband Mike, while in college, and they were married at St. Raphael’s Church in East Meadow on June 4, 1966. A legendary wedding reception followed.
Mike and Kathy moved to Massachusetts to start their family. Kathy worked as an RN at the Carney Hospital in Dorchester, MA eventually leaving nursing after her children were born. She and Mike settled in Fairfield, CT where they lived for 11 years. After working as a stay at home mom, Kathy returned to nursing at the pre-natal clinic at St. Vincent’s Hospital in Bridgeport, CT. She found her true purpose in nursing when she joined the Visiting Nurses Association in Fairfield and over time took that experience to move into hospice nursing. A lifelong learner, Kathy went back to school in the early 90s and earned her Masters in Oncology Nursing.
Kathy and Mike moved to Tulsa, OK where Kathy continued her career in hospice nursing, then to Cedar Rapids, IA. Kathy taught Clinical Nursing at the University of Iowa, and then became an Administrator at the Cedar Rapids Oncology Project, writing grant requests for cancer research. After she retired in 2010, Kathy and Mike moved to Southport, NC.
Kathy had a rich life outside of her professional career. A devoted wife and mother, family time was precious to her. The Flemings took up sailing as a hobby and summers were filled with trips up and down Long Island Sound. A particularly favorite destination was Block Island, RI. Kathy also traveled extensively with trips throughout the US, Ireland, Italy, Canada, Spain, Morocco and the Caribbean.
While in Southport, Kathy was an active member of her community. Starting as a volunteer at the Friends of the Library used book store, she eventually became Book Sales Chair. In the 11 years of her leadership, she and her team grew the used book store into the Once More Book Store, a six day a week operation that averaged five figures in annual revenue to support local libraries.
In addition to her volunteer time, Kathy loved to garden and created a beautiful English style flower and tree garden in her backyard. She was a voracious reader, a talented needlepoint artist, and a devoted dog mom. Kathy was active throughout her life, with daily bike rides, dog walks and yoga classes. She was a beloved and involved neighbor within her community of Arbor Creek, and offered support to those in grief in her Widow to Widow group.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Friends of the Library of Southport.
