Born July 9, 1946 in Columbus Ohio, she was the eldest of two daughters of the late Linda Davis and Albert Tynan. Spending endless hours sculpting castles in the sandbox at home, she never stopped wanting to create. Ohio State University gave her her first introduction to pottery making, and the die was cast. She loved Spanish since high school and spent a summer living with a Spanish family in Madrid. Although she also made sure to stick her toes in Mexico, little did she know how much a part of her life the Spanish language would become.
After graduating from Sullins College and the Philadelphia College of Art (now University of the Arts) she worked for several years in Philadelphia as an interior designer and as a production manager for Successful Meetings magazine, but always wanted to "just live in the country and make pots". Sometime later she moved to Fairfield County and did exactly that; losing herself for days at a time as she was throwing, sculpting, and glazing her work. She took many workshops at the Clay Art Center in Portchester NY, and was a long-time member of the Connecticut Clay Artists, with stints as president, treasurer, secretary, and librarian. For fourteen years she taught pottery at the Wooster Community Art Center, whose electric kilns led her to develop glaze formulas and techniques that mimicked the look of the reduction reactions that only a gas kiln can produce. She has exhibited throughout Fairfield County, and one of her pots is featured in Ceramics Monthly magazine.
Although brought up Presbyterian, she found spiritual fulfillment in the Holy Order of Mans, an eclectic Christian group that eventually found its way to Orthodoxy as the Saints Peter and Paul Eastern Orthodox Church. She served as secretary and as president. More recently she changed parishes, becoming a member of the Holy Trinity Orthodox Church in Danbury. She loved the Orthodox services and got much comfort from her faith.
She met her future husband José through folkdancing at Round Hill, and their entire courtship was filled with music and dance. Attending José's concerts honed her ear and filled her with a love of choral music, while international, contra, English country, and American square dancing embodied the vibrancy that drew him to her. Their lives were strongly intertwined from the beginning. She and her husband often cooked together, and her culinary prowess soon surpassed most fine restaurants. When she had to adapt to gluten-free cooking, she figured out how to do so while preserving and even improving the taste of her meals. She was also dedicated to yoga and alternative health practices, keeping her physically fit throughout most of her life.
Although she was originally reluctant to share her husband's love of aviation, she accompanied him on many flights, including up and down both coasts as well as out to the midwest, and took a pinch hitter course which taught her how to land the airplane in an emergency. This gave her a fuller appreciation of what her husband found in flying, and when she actually landed the plane for the first time, it touched down "like butter" - a testament to the discipline and focus she had developed throughout her life.
Other countries also beckoned them, and Italy, Switzerland, Austria, Jamaica, France, Ireland, and England each became their favorite destination. But once she tasted the warm winters of the Carribean (picture a wide-eyed Katie on the beach stammering "It's January!"), the Dominican Republic became their yearly winter break. José has family there and Katie got to use the Spanish she loved so much.
For over twenty years they sponsored two low-income children in the Dominican Republic, supporting their health, education, and welfare, and visiting each of them in person every year. This gave Katie an opportunity to hone her Spanish and to adapt it to the dialect spoken on the island. They remained in contact with Melissa after the program ended, and helped her and her new husband through their university education. They now have a family of their own, and Katie is proud of what she helped them accomplish.
Later in life she became involved in supporting the sciences, and helped the Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution begin its focused studies of the thousands of exoplanets that have been recently found around other stars.
She is survived by her husband José, her sister Liz and brother-in-law Tim, nephews, nieces and cousins, and her goddaughter Anna Marie (daughter of her own godfather David Unschuld).
Arrangements are being handled by Jowdy-Kane Funeral Home in Danbury. A funeral service will be held Tuesday, July 18 at 11:00 am at Holy Trinity Orthodox Church, 74 Joe's Hill Road, Danbury CT, followed by a green burial at Wooster Cemetery in Danbury. A celebration of life will take place at Ann's Place, 80 Saw Mill Rd, Danbury, at 1:30 pm that same day.
In lieu of flowers, contributions in Katie's memory may be made in support of cancer research, and/or to:
- Ann's Place (Danbury CT) home page donation page
- Caltech Center for Comparative Planetary Evolution (Pasadena CA) home page donation page
- Clay Art Center of Portchester NY home page donation page
- Holy Trinity Orthodox Church (Danbury CT) home page (donation link is on the left of the home page)
- Regional Hospice (Danbury CT) home page donation page