Kathleen Xoa Merritt Nelick of Washington, DC, passed away on December 11, 2024. She was 79 years old.

Kathleen was born to Mary and Arthur Merritt on March 11, 1945, in Scituate, Massachusetts. Kathy spent her formative years in New England, growing up in the coastal town of Scituate, vacationing in Cape Cod, and attending University of Massachusetts Amherst, where she earned a bachelor's in mathematics.

Soon after graduating college, she met her lifelong love Stephen Nelick while working at Eastman Kodak in Rochester, New York. Kathy and Steve moved to the Washington, DC, area, where they were married in 1969. Their family became three when son Adam was born in 1981. Kathy worked at the Library of Congress and then the International Monetary Fund before enjoying an early retirement.

Ice skating kept her busy in her early family life, then Kathy enjoyed her retirement years with activities like painting, gardening, and traveling, including regular trips back to Cape Cod with extended family. She and Steve enjoyed exploring their home city of 45 years by biking and walking in their neighborhood and the surrounding area. Kathy also believed in the importance of giving back to her community, volunteering at schools, serving on the Friends of the Palisades Library, and supporting a variety of Washington, DC, organizations that work to improve the lives of women and children in the area.

In retirement, Kathy embraced her passion for art, taking painting classes at Glen Echo Park and exhibiting her work in art shows. Her beautiful paintings hang in places of pride in the homes of her loved ones, who will remember her zest for life as they gaze upon her work for years to come.

Kathleen is preceded in death by her husband Stephen Nelick, mother Mary Merritt, father Arthur Merritt, and brother-in-law Jeffrey Fair. She is survived by son Adam (Katherine) Nelick, grandchildren Samuel and Charlotte, sister Barbara Fair, brothers Stephen (Pamela) Merritt and John (Han) Merritt, and niece and nephew Alexis Fair and Drew Merritt.

A funeral service will be held Tuesday, December 17, at 11 am at St. Peter's Episcopal Church in Poolesville, Maryland.