Kathleen (Kathy) M. Sestak Fey, C’71, a former administrator in Office of the Dean of the School of Arts & Sciences and several of its departments, died on January 11. She was 74.

After graduating from Cardinal O’Hara High School in Springfield, Pennsylvania, Ms. Fey earned her bachelor’s degree from Penn in 1971, where she remained a part of the community for nearly 50 years. Soon after graduation, Ms. Fey became an administrator in the biology department of the School of Arts & Science, followed by almost two decades as the business administrator in the department of mathematics, starting in 1979. In 1998, she became the senior administrator for faculty affairs in the Office of the Dean, a position she held until 2020. She was loved by the professors and, as a chairman of the mathematics department said, “Kathy was the welcoming glue that kept us all together, as a family.”

Ms. Fey actively engaged in her church community, spearheading the organization and fundraising of the annual Christmas market at St. Agatha-St. James Parish. She loved gardening, holding membership in the Horticultural Society, enjoying the annual Philadelphia Flower Show, and maintaining longstanding membership at the Penn Oaks Club with her husband. Described as selfless, loving, and caring by her family members, Ms. Fey left a lasting impact on those around her.

Her greatest joy was seeing her family and friends happy and fulfilled, recall members of her family. Whether on Halloween nights or at Disney on Ice and competitive Easter egg hunts, she was always the center of their gatherings of love. With a passion for entertaining and cooking, she created a warm and comfortable welcome to nieces and nephews, siblings and friends.

She is survived by her sisters, Barbara, Ann, Elizabeth, Margaret and Patricia and her brother, Joseph. She was predeceased by her husband, Michael; her brother, Richard; and her parents. A visitation was held on January 31 and February 1. Donations in Ms. Fey’s memory can be made to the Pennsylvania Horticultural Society or St. Jude Children’s Hospital.