Katherine (Kate) Marie Fritzsche-Peterson died at the age of 34 on Nov. 10, 2022, at home in Brunswick from glioblastoma, a form of brain cancer. Kate has been surrounded by her loving family and friends.

Ashley Langtry Photography

She was born on March 18, 1988, in Portland, the third child of Paul Fritzsche and Anne Rodier. Kate grew up in Kennebunk, enjoying time with her family, including her large and loving extended family. She was an accomplished musician, playing the flute, piccolo, piano, and saxophone. She especially loved math in school, following proudly in her mother’s footsteps.

After graduating from Kennebunk High School, Kate attended Brown University, where she graduated in 2010 with a concentration in applied mathematics-economics. While at Brown, Kate played in the wind symphony, orchestra, and the non-marching band, and was active in her campus Catholic church community.

Kate worked for two years at the Federal Reserve Bank of Boston as a research assistant, then earned a master in public affairs at Princeton University’s School of Public and International Affairs. She won a prize at graduation for the best student in domestic policy and completed a certificate in health and health policy.

After graduating, Kate worked at the Congressional Budget Office for six years as a principal analyst, where she worked tirelessly to provide the Congress with objective and timely analysis of the effects of legislation on the federal budget and health insurance coverage. She was a key analyst responsible for estimating the effects of legislation to repeal the Affordable Care Act. That work garnered widespread national attention, as its passage would have affected health insurance coverage for millions of Americans. Before leaving the Congressional Budget Office, Kate made significant contributions to the agency’s groundbreaking report estimating the effect of implementing a system of universal health insurance on the federal budget and national health spending. While she lived in Washington, Kate frequently participated in the Social Justice Initiative and other charitable volunteer efforts as part of St. Peter’s Church on Capitol Hill.

Kate moved back home to Maine to work in the commissioner’s office at the Department of Health and Human Services as director of research and evaluation in early 2020. She provided research and data analysis to guide Maine’s COVID response, which was among the safest in the nation. Kate was proud that she had been able to devote her entire career to public service for the people of Maine and the whole country.

Kate married the love of her life, Lars Fritzsche-Peterson, on June 18, 2022, in Buxton, with a great crowd of family and friends. She is survived by her loving husband Lars Fritzsche-Peterson, her parents Paul Fritzsche and Anne Rodier, her siblings Tom, Marie, and Steven Fritzsche, siblings-in-law Leah Lotto and Mike Cahill, a large extended family, and many friends. She is loved and missed by many.

Kate’s greatest joy in life was in being an aunt to her nieces, Arabella, Fiona, and Elizabeth Cahill, and to her nephew, Monty Lotto. Her biggest wish for those who survive her is that they will continue to love and support one another, both through her death and beyond. Universal affordable and quality health care would also be a fitting tribute to Kate. She was grateful to have enjoyed many international trips, visiting 23 other countries, with her friends, her sister, and on her own, and she cherished the time she was able to spend seeing new parts of the world and the people with whom she spent that time.

In addition to her glioblastoma, Kate was a seven-year breast cancer survivor. Both cancers were caused by her rare genetic mutation, Li-Fraumeni syndrome, which increases the risk for cancers throughout the body. Kate felt strongly that she was not losing a battle or even that she was fighting one. One of her favorite jokes was to note that when she would die, so would the cancer, so, at best, it would be a tie. She tried all of the treatments available to her that her doctors could provide or recommend, and it was important to Kate to know that no stone was left unturned for treatment options. Kate dedicated a great deal of time and love to mentoring and being in community with cancer survivors, especially other young women. She and her entire family are grateful to her dedicated medical teams at New England Cancer Specialists, Maine Health, and especially to the neuro-oncology medical team at Massachusetts General Hospital.

A wake will be held at Bibber Memorial Chapel in Kennebunk on Friday, Nov. 18, from 3 to 5 p.m. and 6 to 8 p.m. Kate’s funeral will be at St. Martha’s Church in Kennebunk on Saturday, Nov. 19, at 10:30 a.m., with a reception to follow in the Church Hall.

In lieu of flowers, Kate encourages her loved ones to make donations to the American Brain Tumor Association.

Kate also asks that friends honor her by enjoying an ice cream sundae and remembering a time when you laughed together. To leave a message of condolence, please visit Kate’s book of Memories Page at www.bibberfuneral.com.

Arrangements are entrusted to Bibber Memorial Chapel, 67 Summer St., Kennebunk.