Katharine Baldwin Singer Obituary (1919

Katharine Baldwin Singer, age 96, passed away peacefully on October 22, 2015 at her home in Bremerton, WA. Kay was born on January 14, 1919, in Parkesberg, PA to George Earl and Clara Keebler Baldwin. She grew up in Glassboro, NJ and, at the age of 16, entered Temple University in Philadelphia, PA as a member of the "X Group", an honors group of high school graduates. Upon graduation she taught at Pierce Business School, and then moved to Washington DC to work in the Commerce Department. She met Dad in 1942 while visiting her brother George, both officers in the Signal Corps &, 3 months later they were married by Rev. Fred Harris, Chaplain of the U.S. Senate (whose Father had married her parents). 10 years later they were the parents of 5 children in Chatham, NJ. Kay taught shorthand and typing in local high schools, a private business school, and county adult night schools in NJ for years; then switched to Administrative Secretarial work in the pharmaceutical (NJ) and Oil & Gas (TX) industries. She loved to travel and made many trips to Great Britain, Europe, Japan, China, and Australia & New Zealand. Her favorite pastime was researching the genealogy of both sides of the family and many of her trips were to visit the "home countries" to uncover more information. (She was in Belfast, Ireland during "the Troubles" & talked about the soldiers with their guns walking around. And she was delighted to see the baptismal record of her great grandmother in a little parish parsonage in Armsheim, Germany!). Mom was an avid book reader up until the end of her life, read her newspaper and did her crossword puzzles daily and reluctantly gave up solitaire when she could no longer maneuver her cards easily. She spent countless enjoyable hours playing bridge with her friends from St. Philip's Presbyterian Church, Hurst, TX. Kay was preceded in death by her husband, James Bottom Singer; her brother and sister, George Oliver & Mary Ruth Baldwin; and her daughter, Mary Louise Singer. She is survived by her daughter, Jane Singer Dampier; her sons, James (Becky), Kermit (Dorothy) & John Singer; 13 Grandchildren; 11 Great-grandchildren and 4 step Great-grandchildren.