Kathi R. Boyle
Kathi R. Boyle died at the age of 79 on May 30, 2026 in Monroeville, Pa., after a brave run-in with ALS.
Kathi had limitless social energy and a gift for making meaningful connections between people and with resources to enrich other’s lives. She claimed responsibility for a large number of successful couplings that she introduced.
Kathi was born in Palmerton, Pa., and lived in many places as the daughter of a Union Carbide metallurgist. Kathi had a rich career of service including roles as a caseworker for the West Virginia Department of Human Services, as a social worker for the Board of Education in Berkeley Springs, W.Va., and as a counselor at Hood College in Maryland. After moving to Pittsburgh, Pa., Kathi served as the Associate Director of Pennsylvania Organization for Women in Early Recovery (POWER), as Executive Director at Sister’s Place for homeless women in recovery from substance use, and Executive Director at Metro Family Practice, a federally funded healthcare center. She was particularly proud of her work as the Executive Director of the Pittsburgh AIDS Task Force and of her “part-time” retirement project to bring support and community to the area’s LGBTQ senior population. She was a fierce advocate for those in need.
Kathi loved her people fiercely. She was the proud brag-ready mother of two sons who brought enormous joy to her life. She chased bears (safely?!) in National Parks, watched dolphins at the beach and filled tables – and hearts – with food, stories and laughter. A committed news junkie, she could unleash a righteous, creative string of profanity when describing governmental policies that hurt people. She listened. She mentored. She encouraged and uplifted others.
She is survived by her spouse, Betty Hill (Murrysville, Pa.); her “much younger and better looking” brother, Tom Boyle (Tonya) of Berkeley Springs, W.Va.; her sons Michael Fisher (Andre) of Pittsburgh, Pa., and Wade Fisher (Heidi) of Corona, Calif.; her beloved grandsons Zackary and Mason Fisher of Corona, Cal.; and bonus granddaughters, Sage and Morgan Haskett of Colorado.
Kathi was preceded in death by her parents, Edward Joseph Boyle and Ruth Wyld Boyle, and a brother Michael Edward Boyle.
Friends and family will gather to celebrate Kathi’s life on July 11. In lieu of flowers, please consider a gift in her memory to the Hugh Lane Wellness Foundation supporting the LGBTQ community, or to one of the extraordinary ALS charities: the ALS Association of Western PA, Team Gleason or Live Like Lou.
