On September 20, our sweet Kay closed her eyes and woke up surrounded by a multitude of loved ones in heaven.
On August 15, 1935 in Wilmington Delaware, Kathleen “Kay” was the 5th of 6 children born to Frank and Catherine (Muszynski) Burawski.
Kay attended school at St. Stanislaw and P.S. DuPont in Wilmington before joining Diamond State Telephone Company as a telephone operator.
Kay met Tommy Smith, as fate would have it, through her sister, Carolyn, and her brother-in-law, Frank Archer. The night they met they danced and fell in love and were married shortly after.
Together with Tommy, Kay raised five children between homes in Wilmington and Colonial Heights, before settling into their forever home on West 20th Street in Wilmington’s Triangle neighborhood. Neighbors became friends easily around the neighborhood and Kay spoke fondly of the lifelong friendships she made while living there.
Kay was born to be a mom. From volunteering as a PTA parent to serving her community at Christ Our King Church in various roles, most notably during the Christmas Bazaar, to running the snack stand at River Road swim meets and everything in between, Kay’s energy was unmatched. Kay baked and sewed and chauffeured all while maintaining a spotless home with dinner on the table as dad walked in the door.
In 1986, Kay rejoined the workforce working as a front desk receptionist at DeGroot Chiropractic. The DeGroot staff became a second family for Kay; she took pride in her work and taking care of her coworkers every day. After her official retirement, Kay and Tommy enjoyed vacationing in Wildwood, NJ, at their second home in Arrowhead Lakes, and on several memorable cruises.
As the last remaining member of the original Burawski family, Kay is predeceased by her parents and all five siblings. Kay is also predeceased by her beloved Tommy, who passed away in 2021.
Left to keep her treasured memories and stories alive are her five children: Joanne (Norman) Gaither, Jeanie (Tony) Giliberto, James Smith, Kathleen (Tim) Tinsman, and Thomasine (Alex) Bianchi. Additionally, “Mom Mom Kay” will be dearly missed by her nine grandchildren: Carolyn Robusto, Melissa (Kyle) Mullin, Anthony (Melissa) Giliberto, Colleen (Brian) Haney, Kristi (James) Raymond, Sarah (Joey) Martin, Michael (Cindi) Giliberto, Natalie (Rob) Bianchi, and Hailey Bianchi, as well as her seven great grandchildren: Gabriella, Sadie, Riley, Emma, Owen, Brianna, and Willard.
To honor Kay’s passion for their beloved pets, donations may be sent to the Humane Animal Partners, Wilm, DE (humaneanimalpartners.org) in Kay’s memory.
A Mass of Christian Burial will be held at 11:00 a.m. on Friday, October 9th at the Holy Child Roman Catholic Church (2500 Naaman’s Road, Wilmington, DE 19810). Friends may call beginning at 10:00 a.m. Entombment at Cathedral Cemetery will follow.
