Stephanie Krch, who opened Tails Are Wagging, one of the first dog daycare and boarding businesses in Malden, died at home in her daughter’s arms shortly after midnight on October 17, 2026, after a short fight with cancer. She was 67.
She was born and raised in Burlington and graduated from Burlington High School in 1978, with family roots in Charlestown through the Lailer family. She made her home in Malden for many years. Dogs were her work and her life; she had two of her own, Skyla Ann and Harley Davidson, and called herself nana to her daughter’s dogs, Brownie Boy, Tico Bells and Twix. She gardened, loved the ocean, was happiest with a cup of tea in the sun, and was known to climb onto a chair to lead a room through “YMCA.”
She leaves her daughter, Tara Krch, and Tara’s partner, Allan Veilleux; her mother, Dorothy Krch; her sisters, Jami Krch-Ellis and her husband Trevor, Kelley Krch, and Michele Price and her husband Thomas; and many nieces and nephews. Her father, James Krch of Uniontown, Pa., died before her.
Visitation is Sunday, October 25 from 10 a.m. to 1 p.m. at the A. J. Spadafora Funeral Home, 865 Main Street, Malden.
Compiled from information published by the funeral home. Photograph courtesy of the family via the funeral home. This is our own summary, not the family’s obituary; read the full obituary and leave a condolence at the funeral home’s page on Legacy.com. Corrections: we will fix any error promptly.
