Catherine Huston Davis

On February 4, 2026, Catherine Huston (Moore) Davis charted her final course into the eternal sunset, surrounded by her family. Catherine was predeceased by her paternal grandparents Dr. Francis Daniels and Laura (Bartlett) Moore and maternal grandparents Parker and Helen (Richardson) Murphy, as well as her aunt Nancy (Moore) Hill. She is survived by her parents Professor Peter B. and Margaret (Murphy) Moore; brother, Philip; husband, Brant Davis; sons Benjamin and Matthew; aunts Sally (Moore) Warren and Ceci (Moore) Tripp; uncle, Dr. Francis Daniels ("Chip") Moore, Jr.; and many charming cousins.

Catherine was born on March 16, 1970, into a family that infused her with a curiosity and drive to learn from early age. She attended an independent day school that fostered a less structured, individualized approach to learning. She often spoke of the magical time – like something out of Alice in Wonderland – she spent at Headington Middle School while her father served as a Guggenheim Fellow at Oxford during her fourth-grade year.

Summers were for the outdoors and preferably involved a body of water. Catherine logged many hours in the pool at the local club where she was described as a "determined," if not always victorious, swimmer. But her most cherished memories were reserved for the two weeks each year she spent swimming and sailing at the family home in Marion, MA.

She ultimately made her way to Choate as a day student, graduating in 1988. It was there that she started to flourish as a math whiz, bringing home lots of hardware for the math team. She joined the chorus in her final year, at the urging of a friend who overheard her singing along with the radio and recognized her talent. She also put her 5'11" frame to good use as a member of the girls' rowing team.

Catherine arrived on the Yale campus as a freshman in the Fall of 1988. Originally a member of Saybrook College (her father's alma mater), she elected to transfer to Morse College in her junior year. Catherine immersed herself in the study of mathematics – in and out of the classroom. She learned to apply principles of game theory (and card counting) at the occasional bridge game and at the annual Morse-Stiles Casino night where she was rumored to have left the blackjack table with "a lot" of funny money. She sang with the freshman chorus before gaining entry to the Yale Glee Club. She recalled fondly the 1990 Glee Club European tour that she parlayed into a summer of living in Paris with her Yale roommate (and punctuated by one awesome Madonna concert). She also spent time honing her skills as a skipper with the Yale Corinthian Yacht Club.

After college, Catherine initially settled in the D.C. area, working for the non-profit Council for the Advancement and Support of Education (CASE). She enjoyed sampling wide-ranging ethnic cuisines in the neighborhoods in and around D.C., while taking in the occasional concert at Merriweather Post Pavilion.

In the Fall of 1996, she relocated to Cambridge, MA to begin a Master in Public Policy (MPP) program at Harvard's John F. Kennedy School of Government, after which she started work at a Boston econometrics firm. Around that time, a work colleague introduced her to height-appropriate (she had definite requirements in that area) Brant Davis. They would marry in June 2003, with a proper New England clambake and ceremony in Marion. Catherine spent the bulk of her professional career (from 2002 until her retirement a few months ago) with the Group Insurance Commission for the Commonwealth of Massachusetts, rising to the position of Budget and Research Director.

Outside of work, Catherine was passionate about gardening, going so far as to organize her beds with maps and Excel spreadsheets. She enjoyed long walks with her friends. She was a lover of dogs (particularly those of the black lab persuasion) and a habitual radio backup singer. And she was perpetually in search of the next greatest, intensely chocolate foodstuff. It is rumored that she returned to a particular Parisian establishment some 30 years after that summer of 1990 – just for the chocolate mousse that she remembered as being "heavenly."

Catherine was incredibly proud of her sons Benjamin and Matthew and exercised sheer force of will in an effort to witness as many milestones in their lives as she could in the time she had left. She managed to see Benjamin graduate from high school (twice, in fact) and head off to college at Colby and Matthew (who inherited the math gene) start high school.

Catherine had a lot of fight in her (fueled by a "wicked" stubborn streak) but seemed to lose just a little with each rally. She projected that typical New England stoicism for much of her unfathomable seven-plus year illness – until the pain started to overwhelm. When she received information that was unfavorable, she summoned her math to rationalize the situation. At one point within the past year, however, she arrived at the ultimate realization: she had "crunched the numbers" and "they weren't good," following that with a semi-comical reference to "rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic."

Perhaps that allusion was not accidental for Catherine was happiest while on the water. It is fortuitous that her parents were able to arrange one final family sailing adventure on the Cape in August of last year. Photos show her looking positively blissful while lounging on deck and looking out over the horizon.

Catherine & her family were especially appreciative of the care provided by Matt, Molly, and the balance of her care team at Dana-Farber. In lieu of flowers, please consider supporting the Jimmy Fund (jimmyfund.org) at the Dana-Farber Cancer Institute. An announcement regarding a celebration of Catherine's life will follow.