Kathryn M. Touhey

1936 - 2016

Kathryn Matsis Touhey, aged 79, died at the Spaulding Rehabilitation Center- North End in Boston, on October 6, 2016 following a decade-long battle with lymphoma. Kathryn was born in Nashua, New Hampshire on November 9, 1936 to Arthur Matsis and his wife Jeanne Salvail Matsis. Kathryn graduated from Nashua High School in 1954 and went on to attend the University of New Hampshire in Durham, NH where she was a member of the UNH class of 1958. At UNH, Kathryn majored in English and joined the Kappa Delta sorority. Kathryn's sisters in KD became lifelong friends. She stayed in touch with them, followed their struggles and deeply cherished their friendship. It meant a great deal to her in her last illness to be honored for her 60 years of membership in KD. After college, Kathryn moved to the Boston area, where, following student teaching jobs at the Park School and Shady Hill School, Kathryn went on to become a teacher. Following her move to Boston Kathryn met James M. Touhey, whom she married. The couple had two daughters, Deborah and Elizabeth. The family lived first in Newton Center and later in Framingham. Following the birth of her daughters Kathryn returned to work as a teacher in the Medfield Public School system, where she taught fourth and fifth grade for over 35 years. As an educator, Kathryn inspired students to love learning for its own sake, just as she did. Kathryn's strength and fierceness during her lengthy battle with lymphoma was inspirational. When she was first diagnosed in 2007, Kathryn would often wear a T shirt emblazoned with the single word "fierce"--written in glitter--to chemotherapy sessions. In 2013 the lymphoma recurred and she underwent a stem cell transplant. In 2007, Kathryn moved from Framingham to Winchester, Massachusetts, where notwithstanding her serious health challenges, she became active in the community. She was for many years a regular volunteer at the Winchester Hospital. She periodically participated in events at the Jenks Center. She remained active in her sorority, often getting together with sorority sisters who lived locally. Kathryn also joined the Winchester Unitarian Society, which became a spiritual center for her. Through WUS she enjoyed knitting prayer shawls for those in greater need, poetry readings, and many lunch and dinner gatherings with good friends Kathryn was a voracious reader, often reading a book a day. She could do the New York Times crossword puzzle--in ink--in 20 minutes. Although she had never been on an airplane until after her husband died in 1986, following his death she became a world traveler. She visited visited Portugal, Ireland, England, France, Egypt and Poland--often traveling with friends, Dorothy Rockwood or Denise Rioux. One summer Kathryn taught English for a summer in Poland, just for the adventure of it. She is survived by her daughters, Deborah Manus and her husband Peter of Boston, Massachusetts, and Elizabeth Ashcroft, of Holmbury St Mary, Surrey, UK; three grandsons, James Ashcroft, Alexander Ashcroft and Ned Manus; former son-in-law, Robert Ashcroft, her sister, Deborah Harper, and her nephew Lee David Harper. She is also survived by a circle of many dear friends. A memorial service will be held Monday, October 17th at 2:00 PM at the Winchester Unitarian Society, 478 Main St., Winchester, MA 01890. In lieu of flowers, contributions in Kathryn's honor may be made to the Winchester Unitarian Society.