CAROLINE HACKNEY

HACKNEY--Caroline. September 12, 1942 -- September 24, 2025. Caroline Hackney, known as Ki, passed away peacefully, surrounded by family, after battling Alzheimer's. Ki had a pioneering career in fashion and will be remembered for her magnetic goodness, her eternally chic style, and her warm, welcoming spirit. Born and raised in Cincinnati, OH, her father, Ernst Hackney, was a senior executive at Fifth Third Bank. Her grandfather, Renton Kirkwood Brodie, was the Executive Vice President of Procter & Gamble and the former Board Chair of the University of Cincinnati. Ki dreamed of moving to New York from an early age. After attending Hollins College, she moved to the city, living at the Barbizon Hotel and graduating from the Tobe-Coburn School. She then worked at Vogue and Women's Wear Daily, where she served as the accessories editor, working with designers such as Halston, Calvin Klein, and Ralph Lauren. She moved into fashion PR, eventually forming her own company, Ki Hackney Communications. She later published two books with Harper Collins, "People & Pearls" and "The Charm of Charms." Outside of work, Ki was a loving mother and loyal friend. Once you met Ki, you had a standing invitation to dinner. During holidays, her dining room table in New York and Sag Harbor would be full of guests who couldn't be with their own families. In recent years, her most beloved role was grandmother to her two grandchildren, Dylan and Ren. Ki is survived by her daughters, Caroline and Christina Hribar, Caroline's husband, Mallon FitzPatrick, her grandchildren, Dylan and Ren, and her beloved granddog, Cece.