Rev. Beverlee Kalagher

07/09/2004

The Rev. Beverlee Kalagher, 59, of Cobb Road died Friday at Wayside Hospice Residence in Wayland after a yearlong battle with pancreatic cancer. She was the pastor of West Stockbridge Congregational Church. Born in Waltham on Nov. 5, 1944, daughter of Michael and Marjorie Leishman Cannistraro, she graduated from Waltham High School and, in 1973, magna cum laude from Boston College, with a bachelor's degree in psychology. She received her master's degree in education from Lesley College and taught briefly at Boston University, and a master of education degree in human development in 1977 from Northeastern University. She began her religious studies in the mid-1990s and earned her master of divinity degree in 2000 from Andover Newton Theological Seminary. She had planned to pursue a doctorate in pastoral counseling. She was ordained a minister of the United Church of Christ at Weston Congregational Church in 2002. She had resided in Weston for many years. Rev. Kalagher served as chaplain of Peace Abbey in Sherborn, as an assistant minister of Plymouth Congregational Church in Belmont, as minister of spiritual care for Weston Congregational Church and then as the chaplain for Wayside Hospice. She was called to West Stockbridge two years ago. Previously, she had spent nearly two decades in the business world, first at GTE Sylvania, then for 18 years as a manager at Digital Equipment Corp. She was active in the Women's Interfaith Institute of the Berkshires as well as the South Berkshires Interfaith Council. She was a member of the ethics advisory committee for Fairview Hospital in Great Barrington, and was on the Berkshire County case review board for the Department of Social Services. Her first marriage, to Wayne Johnson, ended in divorce after 18 years.She leaves her husband, Michael Kalagher, whom she married in 1995; a stepson, Andrew Kalagher of Aiken, S.C.; two brothers, Donald Cannistraro of Northville, Mich., and David Cannistraro of Cotuit, and a sister, Marjorie Doyle of Waltham. FUNERAL NOTICE -- A memorial service for the Rev. Beverlee Kalagher, who died July 9, 2004, will be held Saturday, July 17 at 11 at Congregational Church of Weston. There will be a second memorial service Saturday, July 24, at 11 at Congregational Church of West Stockbridge. Donations in lieu of flowers should be directed in her memory to the West Stockbridge Congregational Church, the Rev. Beverlee Kalagher Memorial Fund, 45 Main St., West Stockbridge, MA 01266. She also is survived by many loving nieces, nephews, grandnieces, grandnephews, and her cockapoo, Crouton. Although her time in the Berkshires was brief, she was very involved in this community and touched many people.

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