Kathleen Ann Barry-Piper, 47, Colchester native and Manchester resident, died Thursday, (May 20, 2010), with her devoted husband Russ by her side. A 1981 graduate of Bacon Academy and a 1985 ECSU graduate, Kathy worked as head teller at the Colchester office of the Norwich Savings Society for several years before leaving the workforce to raise her family. She enjoyed cooking, spending time with family and friends, visiting her beloved Deer Isle, Maine, and rooting for the Red Sox. Kathy waged a valiant, nearly 20-year battle against the degenerative muscle disorder that eventually involved her heart and led to her premature passing. Despite more numerous hospitalizations and increasing disability in recent years, Kathy remained able to live at home, due in part to the help of her many wonderful friends, to whom the family extends their deepest gratitude. We also thank the St. Francis doctors, nurses, and staff involved in Kathy's care over the years, and express our most profound appreciation for the wonderful care afforded Kathy in the cardiac ICU at YNHH in her final days. A wonderful wife, mother, daughter, sister, and friend, she will be deeply missed by all whose lives she touched. In addition to her husband, Russell Piper, Kathy is survived by her cherished children Zachary and Sam; her parents, Francis and Barbara Barry of Colchester; her brothers Tim, of Manchester; Chris and wife Susan, of Durham; and Shawn, his wife Justine, and their son Jack, of Stafford Springs. Calling hours will be from 2-5 P.M. on Wednesday (May 26) at the John F. Tierney Funeral Home, 219 West Center Street, Manchester, followed by a memorial service celebrating Kathy's life, also at the funeral home. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made in Kathy's memory to The Brainard Fund, c/o The Hartford Foundation for Giving, 10 Columbus Blvd., Hartford, CT. 06106, which helps families faced with economic hardship as the result of mounting medical care costs. To leave online condolences, please visit tierneyfuneralhome.com