Susan Jane (Considine) Kay

Beloved wife, mother, and grandmother; lifelong resident of Lowell. 

Susan Jane (Considine) Kay passed away, embraced by her family and by the remarkable grace of having time to be with, and say goodbye to, the people she loved most.

She is survived by her husband, Alfred W. Kay; her children Laura Rose Kay, with her partner Andrew Sullivan and their daughters Holly and Mia Sullivan; Susan Jane Kay; Maureen Elaine (Kay) Sigler, her husband David Sigler, and their children Jake and Isabel; and Andrew Alfred Kay and his wife Stephanie (Merinoff) Kay. She is also survived by her brother John Considine and his children Rowan and Leanara; her nieces Jan Marie Considine, Cathleen (Considine) Goodwin, Jennifer (Kay) Berger, and Avia Kay; her nephews Patrick Considine, Brian Kay, and Gregory Kay; her sisters-in-law Janet Considine, Rosemary Considine, Katharine Wentworth, Brenda Hazelgrove, and Janeanne Kay; and her brother-in-law William Kay.
She was predeceased by her beloved parents, James and Josephine (Cassidy) Considine; her brothers James and Joseph Considine; her sister Mary Josephine Considine; and her brother-in-law Robert Kay.

A lifelong Lowellian, Susan carried deep roots in the city she adored. Her grandparents, Irish immigrants and founding members of the Immaculate Conception Church, built a life in Lowell that became the foundation of generations to follow. Susan loved the city not only as her home, but as part of her identity. She was Lowell’s unofficial ambassador, often reminding anyone she met that “all roads lead to Lowell”.

She attended the Immaculate Conception for elementary school and graduated from Keith Hall High School. She then earned a BA in English from The Catholic University of America and later a master’s degree from Boston College’s Institute for Religious Education and Pastoral Ministry.
Susan shared 58 years of marriage with her husband, Al. They met in their beloved hometown, attended Keith Academy and Keith Hall together, and built a life shaped by family, lifelong friendships, and a shared history rooted deeply in the community they both loved.

Nothing in Susan’s life mattered more to her than her family. She was endlessly proud of her children and grandchildren, delighting in every accomplishment, every milestone, and every piece of their lives. She celebrated them and loved them with a depth that shaped all of their lives. Her children and grandchildren loved her deeply and knew her as a source of warmth, humor, loyalty, and devotion. Whether gathered around a holiday table, at Rye Beach, over ice cream and chocolate chip cookies, or simply together at home, Susan was happiest when surrounded by the people she loved most.

Susan began her career teaching seventh and eighth grade at the Joseph G. Pyne School in Lowell and in San Antonio, Texas. She went on to serve in numerous leadership roles within the Archdiocese of Boston, including Director of Religious Education at Immaculate Conception Parish in Lowell, Assistant for Ministry to the Merrimack Regional Bishop, and Assistant Director of Religious Education for Catechetical Leadership. Throughout her career, she brought together scholarship, faith, and a deep commitment to justice and human dignity.

The Immaculate Conception Parish remained Susan’s spiritual home throughout her life, just as it had been for her parents and grandparents before her. There she served her community in countless ways — directing religious education, participating in parish leadership, leading marriage preparation, and accompanying families through some of the most meaningful moments of their lives. She often spoke of how profoundly those relationships shaped her, and how much she learned from the people she walked beside through joy, grief, celebration, and loss.

During her time with the Archdiocese, Susan helped lead New Directions for Catholic-Jewish Relations, a joint initiative between the Archdiocese of Boston and the Anti-Defamation League dedicated to fostering interreligious dialogue and understanding. The work reflected Susan’s profound belief that faith should build bridges rather than barriers and that understanding across traditions was essential to peace and justice. Her involvement in the initiative led to her participation in the American Jewish Committee’s Project Interchange, through which she traveled to Israel with an interfaith delegation -- an experience that further broadened her worldview and deepened the compassion and humanity that guided her life and work. In recognition of her decades of devoted service to the Church, Susan received the Cheverus Award, honoring Catholics who demonstrate dedicated service to their faith communities.

Susan approached education and ministry as both an intellectual and spiritual calling. She was deeply thoughtful, endlessly curious, and serious about the responsibility of teaching well. She believed learning was lifelong work and brought that belief to every classroom, parish, and conversation. Her love of learning extended far beyond theology. She believed the arts -- music, books, poetry, theater, and storytelling -- offered some of the clearest windows into the human experience. A devoted supporter of NPR and public television, she passed along her love of reading and the arts to her children, grandchildren, and nearly every child lucky enough to cross her path. Her favorite gift to give was always a book.

That curiosity also shaped her travels through the Art and Faith program led by her dear friend Michael McGrath. Through those experiences, Susan explored art, history, spirituality, and culture in ways that continually expanded her understanding of the world.

Her commitment to service extended well beyond the walls of the church. From her work at the House of Hope to helping organize dinners for members of the Lowell community living with AIDS, Susan lived her faith through action. She was a fierce advocate for human dignity, justice, compassion, and inclusion, and she believed deeply in the responsibility to care for one another -- especially those too often overlooked.
Susan inherited her love of the Boston Red Sox from her Uncle James and Aunt Mary, first listening to games on the radio as a child before gathering around the television with family for decades afterward. She passed that devotion enthusiastically on to her children, along with the understanding that true Red Sox fandom required loyalty, resilience, and very strong opinions. Through every triumph and heartbreak, she never gave up on them.

Rye Beach, New Hampshire was one of the great constants of her life --  the setting for decades of summers with family, laughter, long conversations, and peace. 

She also possessed an almost supernatural sense of direction and loved “going for a ride.” She could navigate hidden back roads and impossible routes with complete confidence, somehow always knowing exactly how to get where she was going.

And then there was ice cream -- essential to celebrations, beach days, ordinary Friday nights, and, fittingly, her very last meal.

Mostly, though, Susan will be remembered for the way she made people feel: welcomed, understood, encouraged, and loved. She moved through the world with fierce intelligence, generosity of spirit, moral conviction, humor, and an enormous heart. She showed up for people fully, listened closely, and remembered what mattered. 

Her life leaves behind a legacy of faith, scholarship, justice, community, and -- most importantly -- love that will continue to shape the lives of the many people fortunate enough to have known her.

Friends may call on Monday, June 1, 2026, at the O’DONNELL FUNERAL HOME 276 PAWTUCKET ST. in LOWELL from 3 to7 P.M. Relatives and friends are invited to attend her Funeral Mass to be celebrated on Tuesday June 2, 2026, at the IMMACULATE CONCEPTION CHURCH at 1:00 P.M. Her burial will follow at St. Patrick Cemetery. Those wishing may make contributions in Susan’s memory to Catholic Charities Boston at 275 West Broadway, Boston, MA 02127 www.ccab.org. E-condolences/directions at www.odonnellfuneralhome.com. Arrangements by Funeral Director James F. O’Donnell, Jr. (978) 458-8768. 

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