DUNN, Catherine C. Age 100, of Wellesley, passed away peacefully on May 8, 2026.
Known as “Kit”, she was born in Boston on April 3, 1926 to Frederic E. Clayton and Mary C. (Kelley) Clayton. Predeceased by her parents, two brothers, Joseph P. and Francis E. Clayton and her beloved husband of 48 years, M. Joseph Dunn.
She is survived by her daughters, Susan (Richard) Hill of Wellesley and Patricia (Richard) Grey of Los Angeles and New York City; three grandsons, James (Katherine), Timothy (Taryn), and Frederic Hill; and three great grandchildren.
Kit was a graduate of Framingham State Teachers College and taught home economics at Old Lyme (CT) High School, Wellesley High School and James P. Timilty Middle School in Boston. While hostessing at a restaurant on Cape Cod in the summer of 1952, a friend introduced Kit to her future husband, Joe. After a whirlwind romance, they married in December of that same year and raised their family in Wellesley.
Joe’s career took them to North Conway and Bedford, NH for 20 years ; they returned to Wellesley in 1999. Many happy summers were spent on the Cape with family and friends, in Sippewisset and then North Falmouth, enjoying golf, tennis and the beaches. An avid cook, Kit loved entertaining the friends they met throughout their life. With her considerable skill with a sewing machine, she made her daughters’ dresses and skating costumes. She loved her gardens, creating new ones wherever she lived. Favorite pastimes included skiing, skating, tennis, golf, travel and most of all, music. Over the years, she attended countless performances at Boston Symphony Orchestra, Crescendo Club of Boston, Boston Lyric Opera and the Highfield Theatre in Falmouth. Kit was a member of the Women’s City Club of Boston, the Skating Club of Boston, the Woods Hole Golf Club and the House and Garden Club of Wellesley.
Kit had a deep and abiding faith, which she credited for giving her strength and support every day. She was a parishioner at St. Paul Church in Wellesley and a member of the Equestrian Order of the Holy Sepulcher.
Kit’s family is deeply grateful to Fray, Judy, Brook and Metti for the warm and loving care they provided for her over the past six years.
Kit will be deeply missed and forever remembered for her strength and love. A Mass of Celebration will be held at a later date.