Kathleen Ritchie Lee of Hampton Bays and Dover, Delaware, died on Monday, January 5. She was 95.
Born in Wilkes Barre, Pennsylvania, on April 15, 1913, to Frank Ritchie and Rose Maier Ritchie, she moved with her family to Flushing, Queens, in the 1920s.
She was a 1935 graduate of the College of New Rochelle and worked as a teacher and librarian for the New York school system for many years, retiring in 1977. She instilled her love of books and reading in her students, children and grandchildren, and enjoyed traveling.
After her retirement, Mrs. Lee moved to Hampton Bays and volunteered at the hamlet’s public library for many years. According to loved ones, her home at the beach, where everyone was welcome, holds many happy memories for both family and friends.
In recent years, she moved to Dover to live with her daughter, Rosemary Ryan.
Mrs. Lee was an active member of St. Andrew Avellino and St. Rosalie’s Roman Catholic churches. She was a member of the Catholic Daughters, the Rosary Society, and past president of the Mothers Club of St. Andrew Avellino School in Flushing, which all her children attended. She was also responsible for organizing and establishing the first library at that school.
Mrs. Lee was an avid bridge player and enjoyed sewing and needlework, swimming, golf, reading, and spending time with family and friends. She embroidered hundreds of baptismal bibs for newborns being christened at St. Rosalie’s in Hampton Bays.
Mrs. Lee is survived by two daughters, Joanne Lee of Albertson, New York, and Rosemary Ryan of Dover; a son, Gregory Lee of Plymouth, Minnesota; a brother, George Ritchie of Cape Carteret, North Carolina; six grandsons; three granddaughters; and 10 great-grandchildren.
She was predeceased by her husband, Gregory A. Lee, Esq.; a daughter, Kathleen Lee Curran; and two brothers, Frank and John Ritchie.
A funeral service was held at the Church of St. Andrew Avellino on January 24; interment followed at Mount St. Mary’s Cemetery, both in Flushing.
In lieu of flowers, donations to Delaware Hospice, 911 S. Dupont Highway, Dover, DE, 19901 or the Dominican Academy, 44 East 68th Street, New York, NY 10065 would be appreciated by the family.
on Feb 4, 2009