Kathryn Joosten, best known for her hilarious roles as Mrs. McCluskey on Desperate Housewives, secretary Dolores Landingham in The West Wing, and “old lady god” in Joan of Arcadia, passed away on Friday of lung cancer.
Joosten had struggled with the illness two separate times, once in 2001 and then again in 2008. She won two Emmys for Housewives and a story arc focusing on cancer was included for her character.
Besides her three most notable television gigs, she played small parts in every show you can name – everything from Will & Grace to Monk, Curb Your Enthusiasm, The Closer, and General Hospital.
She began acting late in life, at age of 42 in the mid-80’s. Before that, she was a psychiatric nurse in Chicago. Desperate Housewives creator Marc Cherry released these words in a statement:
“The character of Mrs. McCluskey was created for a single episode. We then cast Kathryn Joosten and she infused the part with so much feisty wit and curmudgeonly bravado, we knew we had to move her onto Wisteria Lane for the run of the series.” 
“I will forever miss her, as a co-worker and as a friend.”
