CAROLYN "KIT" STALEY

1931 - 2021

STALEY CAROLYN 'KIT' (nee KILLIAN) Kit Staley passed away on June 1, 2021. She was 90 years old. Kit was born in 1931 in Cambridge, Massachusetts, to James R. Killian Jr. and Elizabeth Parks Killian. Her father was President of M.I.T. and the first full-time science advisor to President Eisenhower. Kit Staley graduated from Wellesley High School and went on to attend Mount Holyoke College, graduating in 1952 having majored in economics. In 1952, she was one of the earliest female employees for IBM, working as a systems service representative. In 1953, she married Paul R. Staley, who went to Dartmouth College and then Harvard Law School, worked for Procter & Gamble, and eventually became CEO of the PQ Corporation in Philadelphia. Before moving to the Philadelphia area, they moved seven times all over the country. During that time, they had four children. Kit was always engaged as a mother and volunteered at the League of Women Voters, helping the power of women contribute to our democracy. Kit taught math at both private (The Agnes Irwin School) and public high schools. She often attended her children's activities in sports and music and regularly attended the Main Line Unitarian Church, where she was a long-time member. Kit's 33-year marriage to Paul ended in divorce in 1986. In 2000, she asked Walt Morse if he would travel to South Africa with her. He accepted the invitation, and they became life partners and ended up traveling the world together. Walt passed away March 2, 2012. Kit spoke of Walt with such joy and felt blessed to have shared numerous years together late in life. Kit's greatest loves were her children and grandchildren, watching tennis (particularly Roger Federer), and the Appalachian Mountain Club's Three Mile Island Camp on Lake Winnipesaukee in New Hampshire. She read the New York Times every morning and loved recommending books to read and movies to see. Having grown up in the Great Depression, she rarely threw food away, so there were always surprises when opening the refrigerator door! In recent years, she often commented how happy she was living at Dunwoody Village, a retirement community in Newtown Square, Pa. She is survived by her four children—Chris (Kate), Jes (Deby), Peter, and Janet—and four granddaughters—Alexa, Sophia, Tori, and Rowan—plus her brother Rhyne M. Killian. A Memorial Service and celebration of Kit's life will be held at the Main Line Unitarian Church on Saturday, July 24, at 2:00 P.M. All are welcome. Donations in her memory may be given to WHYY, 150 N 6th St, Phila., PA 19106, or to a public television station of your choice.