By:Angela Marshall
Kim, as friends and family called her, had tremendous inner strength, according to her father, Peter Forgach. Once she set her mind on achieving a goal, she never let up until she had attained it. He recounted story after story evidencing Kim-s determination.
Some might have described Kim as vertically challenged; she would say she was just plain short. But she did not let that stop her from keeping up with her friends as a child. When a swim coach at the Rec Center told her she was too small to move up to the next level with all the others, she asked him for a test so she could prove to him that she was ready. He gave her one swim the length of the pool and back and she did it. Slowly and methodically she swam from one end to the other, the coach waiting at the side to jump in at any moment if she got into trouble.
She was just as determined not to be left behind when it came to difficult classes in school. Despite little aptitude for foreign language, math or science, Kim earned an International Baccalaureate Diploma from South Side through sheer will and an outstanding work ethic, her parents said.
And when she was forced to miss a semester of college, Kim regrouped and finished in three and a half years so that she could graduate with her classmates. But just graduating wasn-t enough: Kim-s degree in psychology from Muhlenberg College came complete with cum laude status.
She was just a wonderful kid, her father said.
Kim was also a giving person, volunteering for many programs during her life, including spending three summers at Camp Anchor, where she worked with disabled children as well as adults.
So when Kim-s parents were approached about donating her organs to help others, they didn-t hesitate to say yes, knowing that-s what their daughter would have wanted.
Kim had planned to run for Rockville Centre Public Library board trustee this week, but her name was removed from the ballot earlier this month due to her medical condition. Her father is a past library trustee, and she helped with several school and library board elections over the years.
She loved to read throughout her life, especially romance novels, her father said. Kim loved happy endings. Many times she would read the end of a book first to be sure that it ended happily ever after.
As much as Kim liked to read, she was also a doer, her father said. She loved to ski, swim and travel, among other things. During her years at South Side, she was committed to studying art and showed tremendous growth, according to teacher Keith Gamache. It-s just really shocking, he said of her death. She was a wonderful and dedicated art student. He praised her passion for expressing her ideas through abstraction.
To her friends, Kim was a sounding board, often acting as the group-s Dear Abby. Her father said he wouldn-t say Kim had a lot of friends, but the friends she had were very close.
If you knew Kim, consider yourselves fortunate, Mr. Forgach said. If you heard about her, you are very lucky. The rest of the world does not know what it missed.
After her college graduation, Kim took a job as a receptionist and calendar person at the law firm of Hirsch, Britt & Mose in Garden City. She was planning to take the LSATs in June.
Mr. Forgach thanked the community for its support during a difficult time. The people of Rockville Centre have been amazing, he said.
In addition to her father, Kim is survived by her mother, Marie; two aunts, Joan Kocher and Kitty Allen; two uncles, Paul Kocher and Andras Sandor; and three cousins, Eric and Colleen Kocher and Andrea Sandor.
