Kathleen “Kate” Dempsey Cummings died unexpectedly on December 17, 2022, at her Montgomery Center, Vermont, home from an undiagnosed illness. She was born June 5, 1976, in Gainesville, Florida, to Brian P. Dempsey and Deborah A. Smith Dempsey. Kate graduated from Titusville High School in Titusville, Florida.
She attended the University of Central Florida from 1996 to 1998 and graduated from the University of Massachusetts in 2000. She spent many years living in Boston and New York City before settling in Vermont. It was here Kate met and married her best friend and fellow adventurer Rory Cummings. Kate found her true passion as a fierce advocate and devoted mother to Lila and recently Lantz.
Always charismatic and full of energy, Kate managed two separate resorts in Vermont, including The Bridges in Warren, before founding her own property management company. Kate was a lifelong animal advocate and a foster parent to many dogs over the years; it was rare to see Kate without a happy pup in tow.
Kate loved to travel and was always eagerly planning the next family trip to Puerto Rico, Florida, NYC, or Boston. Kate is survived by her husband Rory Cummings and children Guinivere, Lila, and Lantz. She will be missed by many but especially her siblings, Brian Patrick (Brianna), William and Joseph Dempsey of Vermont, Grace “Avery” Euber of North Carolina, and stepsiblings Caitlin (Sam), Nathan and Eli Christiana of Vermont, as well as stepparents, Timothy Knowles and Jill and Thon Christiana, in-laws Pamela and George Rice, and grandmothers Jean Doughty and Donna Lewis of Florida and Mahrie Smith of Texas, aunts, uncles, and cousins. Kate is predeceased by her mother and father and many well-loved relatives.
In lieu of flowers, donations, if able, may be made in Kate’s memory to American Lab Rescue, Inc., P.O. Box 215, Wilmington, CT 06279. Family and friends are all invited to attend a Celebration of Kate’s Life, 2 p.m., Saturday, January 21, 2023, at The Lake Bomoseen Lodge, 2551 VT 30N, Castleton, Vermont.
