Kathleen Ellen St. John Reich

Kathleen E. St. John Reich, of Long Valley, New Jersey, passed away peacefully on March 9, 2026, at Hackettstown Medical Center with her loved ones by her side. She was 74 years old.

Born on September 29, 1951, in Buffalo, New York, to the late Thomas St. John and Catherine Etta Walsh, Kathleen spent her early childhood in Egypt and Switzerland while her father worked for Catholic Charities. She was raised in Norwalk, Connecticut, and later attended Assumption College in Worcester, Massachusetts, where she met the love of her life, Bernie. After graduating magna cum laude, she devoted twenty-two years to social work at the Hospital Center at Orange and NJ Orthopedics. In the later part of her career, she served as a library technician at the Washington Township Public Library in Long Valley, where she took quiet pleasure in helping patrons and working among the books she loved.

Kathleen found joy in life’s simple pleasures. She enjoyed reading, cooking, baking, gardening, cross stitch, jewelry making, and birdwatching. She cherished visits to Block Island with her family, a place that had brought her happiness since childhood. A devoted New York Giants fan, she looked forward to cheering them on each football season. Her deep interest in genealogy led her to spend countless hours researching and preserving her family’s Irish ancestry. While at the library, she organized a genealogy group to share that passion with others, and she also planned and carried out a memorable 30th high school reunion for the CCHS class of 1969, reuniting her Norwalk friends for a weekend filled with laughter and shared memories.

She is survived by her beloved husband, Bernie Reich; her daughter, Caitlin Brown, and Caitlin’s husband, Rajon; and her cherished grandson, Liam. Kathleen is also survived by her siblings, Thomas W. St. John Jr. (Linda), Lorraine St. John, Michael Saint John (Karen), and Elizabeth Saint John, along with many treasured nieces, nephews, cousins, and friends who will hold her in their hearts.