Kathleen Levinsky Somach (Wittbold), previously of Manchester-by-the-Sea, was born in Penn Valley, Pennsylvania on January 30, 1959. She passed away in Plymouth, Massachusetts on July 25 after a courageous battle with brain cancer. She leaves behind her husband (Phil Fragasso), three children (Emily, Theodore, and Reilly), and two siblings (Donna and Steven) – along with countless devoted friends.
Kathy attended Emory University where she received both a BA and MA in English literature. She began her career as a political speechwriter, but quickly felt her creativity stifled by DC bureaucracy. She then moved to the nascent MTV cable network as a writer/producer – and it was there that she found her place in the world. Music had always been her passion, and she excelled at interviewing artists and creating well-turned phrases in the scripts she wrote for on-air talent. After MTV, she served as Merchandising Manager for the Rolling Stones, then later as creator and producer of over a decade's worth of original classic rock programming for hundreds of radio stations in the Dick Clark Radio Network. Most recently, she worked for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and as a tutor for college and high-school students.
Kathy’s long list of accomplishments only paints part of the picture of who she truly was. A more intelligent, beautiful, and caring woman never existed. She focused her time and energy on her children, always putting their needs far above her own. She was a devoted friend, and she cared deeply about her colleagues and students. Kathy was a fighter to the very end, and never lost of her sense of humor. Even weeks before her passing she was still finding ways to make her family smile, either by using her cane as an umbrella to reenact "Singing in the Rain,” belting out her favorite songs, or cracking many of her signature witticisms. She will be missed by so many, but she will live on in the hearts of all who loved her.
Because of COVID-19, there will not be a memorial service until it is safer for family and friends to travel and gather in celebration of her beautiful life.
