Mrs. Kathleen Elizabeth Gramiccioni (McElroy)

Kathleen Elizabeth (McElroy) Gramiccioni, 79, died peacefully on Wednesday, October 30, in Mt. Pleasant, South Carolina, surrounded by loving family. Kathy grew up in East Baltimore, the daughter of James and Margaret McElroy and the second eldest of six closely-knit siblings, Rosemary, Mary Margaret, Patricia, Maureen and Jim. Kathy spent her childhood caring for her younger siblings, listening to Elvis, and attending high school at the Institute of Notre Dame. Kathy was an athlete before girls were described as athletes, and the stories about how she always beat the boys in races will be told for years to come. Our Kathy could fly. Her grandchildren inherited her speed, as well as her dimples, kindness, and twinkling Irish eyes. Kathy met the love of her life, retired US Army Colonel John Gramiccioni, when she was 22 years old. Kathy met John when he was stationed with the Army in Italy, thanks to the matchmaking skills of her sister Rosemary and Rosemary’s husband Joseph St. Clair. That foursome of Kathy, John, Ro, and Joe spent countless Friday nights together in the following decades, filled with games, laughter and friendship. Last January, Kathy and John celebrated 54 years of marriage. Kathy’s first home was Baltimore, but she became the world’s most entertaining and reliable Army wife alongside John, traveling the world as John led battalion forces around the globe. Kathy spearheaded the efforts to provide support to military spouses from Germany to Florida and several duty stations in between, and made sure the needs of every single military family on each base were met. She didn’t carry the title of Colonel, but her selfless leadership and the warm comfort you felt in her presence changed the world on a similar scale. Kathy gave birth to her cherished boys Christopher and Gregory on Army bases in the 1970s, and for years she raised her boys in so many homes and places, finding the courage and resolve to make a house truly a home for them all over the world. While far from Baltimore and her siblings, Kathy nonetheless provided unwavering love and support for Chris and Greg, oftentimes not knowing for months where in the world her special forces husband was deployed. It has been said that iron sharpens iron, and Kathy, with her angelic face and loving disposition, was strong as iron for her family. She was their foundation. Kathy returned with John and her boys to her hometown of Baltimore in 1988, to be closer to her loving extended family. Back in Baltimore, Kathy maintained her entrepreneurial and volunteer spirit, starting her own cleaning company and volunteering as a unit clerk at St. Joseph’s Medical Center. She also worked as an executive secretary at Bendix and later at her brother Jim‘s nursery, Green Fields, where she would entertain her coworkers with her easy laugh and warm smile. But by far Kathy’s favorite role was that of being "Mom Mom" to her five grandchildren, Noah, Layla, Ila, Sarabeth and Cole. She definitely gave them way too much sugar and let them watch TV well past their bedtimes, but she was everything to her grandkids. Kathy was the cool grandma who watched Ravens games with her grandkids in her Joe Flacco and then Justin Tucker jerseys, but also was the comforting grandmother ready with a soothing bear hug when her grandkids needed it most. In a word, Kathy was THERE. She was always reliably there. Her absence will be felt for eternity. In addition to John, Chris and his wife Deborah, Greg and his wife Jennifer and her five grandchildren, Kathy is survived by her beloved sisters Mary Margaret, Patricia and Maureen, her brother Jim, her uncles William Lotz and Gerard Lotz, and her aunt Mary Claire Lotz. No words on a page can properly convey the impact on those who she loved and loved her. May the Lord take Kathy into His loving arms and provide comfort to everyone blessed enough to know her. Funeral Arrangements The family will receive friends in the Mitchell-Wiedefeld Funeral Home, Inc., 6500 York Road (at Overbrook Rd), Baltimore, MD 21212 on November 12, 2024 from 2-4 PM and 6-8 PM. A Funeral Mass of Christian Burial will be offered in St. Pius X Church on November 13, 2024 at 10 AM. Memorial Donation For those desiring, memorial contributions may be made in Kathy's name to the Foundation to Advance Vascular Cures at https://www.vascularcures.org/vascular-dementia. Interment Arrangements Dulaney Valley Memorial Gardens “

Mrs. Kathleen Elizabeth Gramiccioni (McElroy)

November 25, 1944 - October 30, 2024