Kristy O'Malley

Kristy Elizabeth O’Malley, 52, of Frederick, passed away unexpectedly in the early morning of Friday, May 21, 2021.

Born Aug. 31, 1968, in Camden, N.J., she was the daughter of the late Kay (Fletcher) and Thomas O’Malley.

Kristy is survived by her brother and sister-in-law, Thomas and Tommi (Gillespie) O’Malley, and their children, Colin and Katie, all of Mount Laurel, N.J. Her long-time partner and friend, Gary “Bear” Bowers, of Frederick, also survives, along with numerous close and life-long friends whom she considered to be her extended family. Several cousins, uncles and aunts, including Sallyann and Michael O’Malley, of Maple Glen, Pa., Bill and Becky Fletcher of Cary, N.C., and Fred and Cathy Fletcher of Washington, N.C.; and stepmother Rita O’Malley of Sewell, N.J., also survive.

She was a 1986 graduate of Shawnee High School in Medford, N.J., where she sang in the chorus and participated in musical theatre among other activities, and a 1990 graduate of La Salle University, where she majored in communications, performed in student theatre productions, and was a member of the Alpha Epsilon Rho Communications Honor Society. She was a proud sister of the Gamma Phi Beta sorority.

Kristy was passionate about writing, the written word and AP Style. She worked most of her professional career as a news and copy editor, starting out on the night copy desk at The Frederick News-Post in 1998, before her promotion to news editor. From 2007 to 2010 she was a copy editor and news designer for The Gazette/Post Newsweek Media in Gaithersburg, before moving to The Daily Record in Rochester, N.Y., where she eventually served as managing editor from 2010 to 2015. She returned to Frederick in 2017, adapting to The Chicago Manual of Style as a copy editor for AOPA’s Pilot and Flight Training magazines, several digital properties and newsletters, AOPA Live and more. In this role, she pored over flight manuals, gaining deep knowledge of technical flight terminology, and planned to start flying lessons after the COVID-19 restrictions lifted.

Outside the work she tirelessly performed, Kristy lived her life just as passionately. She was an avid follower of the Dave Matthews Band, frequently attending their concerts throughout the country. By far her favorite venue was the Gorge Amphitheatre in George, Wash., where she often camped for shows. She will be missed by many fellow fans with whom she maintained active friendships and correspondence. She was a Philadelphia Eagles season ticket holder for many years, and a rabid fan of all Philadelphia sports teams, including the 76ers, the Flyers and the Phillies. A history buff, she often donned authentic costumes for Civil War reenactments and enjoyed touring battle sites around the Mid-Atlantic region.

Since childhood, she also enjoyed spending time at the Fletcher family’s vacation home on the Bogue Sound in North Carolina’s Outer Banks before the home was lost in a recent hurricane. She traveled extensively throughout the United States, making road trips across the country several times with friends as well as on her own. She enjoyed baking and often prepared sweets for her friends in the middle of the night. She was an expert seamstress, a voracious reader and a feminist. She gave generously to many charities and liberal causes and participated in numerous marches. Kristy raised money for breast cancer research by joining the 60-mile Avon Breast Cancer Walk from Frederick to Washington, D.C.

She loved Golden Retrievers and any dog she encountered, perhaps more than some people, although there is not a friend or acquaintance of Kristy’s who did not feel genuinely loved, cared for, or thought about each day. She maintained deep, close connections with hundreds of friends and colleagues she met through the years, always remembering birthdays, anniversaries, their children’s milestones and special inside jokes. She was a bright and constant ray of sunshine in the lives she touched.

A celebration of Kristy’s life will be held from 4 to 7 p.m. Saturday, June 19th at 18 W. 3rd St., Frederick.

Memorial contributions may be made in Kristy’s name to Planned Parenthood or another charity of your choice.