Kathleen F. (Kathy) Whitehead of Beverly, formerly of Danvers and Salem, passed away on June 17, 2022 at 90 years of age.
Kathy was born in March of 1932 in Tecumseh, Nebraska and grew up in nearby Plattsmouth. In 1954, she graduated from Mount Saint Scholastica College with a degree in mathematics and began working as a computer programmer, one of the earliest in the field.
Soon afterward, her older brother introduced her to DeWayne Whitehead and the two were married in 1956. When her first child was born in 1961, she left the workforce to focus on raising her family.
As her children got older, she began lending her many talents to a variety church, school and civic organizations. She played the organ at church services, sewed costumes for the historical society, led parent and booster organizations, organized strawberry shortcake fundraisers and kept the books a local women’s organization.
She had a quick wit and a ready laugh and, although she lived in New England for over 50 years, she never lost the easy sociability (and accent) that marked her as a Mid-Westerner. Her door was always open as she delighted in catching up with her many friends and neighbors over a cup of coffee.
She will be missed.
Kathy was the cherished mother of Peter Whitehead of Lowell, Gregory Whitehead and wife Christine of Wenham, Susan Whitehead of Watertown, Jennifer Whitehead of Beverly. She was the adored grandmother of Jason and Sara Moore of Florida, Crystal Whitehead of Kansas, Emme Whitehead of Wenham, and Caleb Shairs of Beverly as well as the loving great-grandmother of Kahlyn Moore and Bethany Bragdon.
She was predeceased by her husband, the late DeWayne Whitehead, her son Geoffrey as well as her sister, Jeanne Hartford and her brothers, Fred and Wayne Feldhausen.
In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to The Woman’s Friend Society of Salem (https://womansfriendsociety.org/) or any organization that supports women and children.
The family will be hosting a “Celebration of Life” gathering on Sunday, July 24th from 1 – 4 p.m. at the Cove Community Center in Beverly, MA. We hope that you will stop by to share your memories of our mom.
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