Kathleen P. Cushing

Kathleen Patricia McNally Cushing, 82, died Saturday, May 30, 2020 in Amherst, MA. After years of living with advanced dementia, she contracted Covid-19 and passed away soon after.

She graduated from Matignon HS (1954) and Regis College (1963), where she was active in political causes, serving as president of Young Democrats and fundraising for Student Nonviolent Coordinating Committee (SNCC). Dedication to civic engagement continued her whole life. She volunteered for political campaigns at local, state and national levels, and initiated a successful campaign in 1980 to save the Framingham Civic League.

Kathleen was passionate about the arts. She played a pivotal role in establishing the Performing Arts Center of Greater Framingham in 1981. When public schools no longer offered the popular summer musical program, she co-founded Four Seasons Productions to make this possible for 5 summers in the 1980's. She nurtured a generation of young artists who became arts administrators, professional actors, and even a Tony-award winning producer. Her love of song ran through her whole life; as her verbal skills failed, she never lost the ability to remember lyrics.

She is survived by daughters Carolyn Cushing of Easthampton, MA, and Sheila Cushing Smith and her husband Jonathan, and grandsons Ian and Emmet Smith, of NY, NY, and sister Elaine McNally Fitzpatrick and family of Guilford, CT, and brother Charles R. McNally Jr. and family of Swampscott, MA, and former husband, Robert D. Cushing of Framingham, MA.

A gathering will be held to celebrate her life when it is safe to do so. In lieu of flowers, donations are welcome to When We All Vote, P.O. Box 34673, 1400 L St. NW, Washington, DC 20005. To sign the Tribute Wall, visit www.mitchellcofuneralhome.com.