Obituary of Katherine Theresa (Kolodziej) Lamphier

Katherine T. (Kolodziej) Lamphier PEABODY—Katherine T. (Kolodziej) Lamphier, 89, beloved wife of the late Francis Lamphier, died unexpectedly Monday morning at the Amenity Manor Skilled Nursing Center in Topsham, ME following a brief illness. Born in Peabody, she was the daughter of the late Anthony and Genevieve (Wiktor) Kolodziej. She lived most of her life in Peabody, and the last several years in Maine to be near her son, Robert, who died a year ago. Katherine attended Peabody schools, and graduated from Peabody High School, Class of 1934. Besides nurturing her family, she worked for a short time at A.C. Lawrence Leather Company in Peabody, and mostly worked as a Sales Clerk with Jordan Marsh Department Store at the North Shore Shopping Center in Peabody. Mrs. Lamphier was an active communicant of St. Joseph’s Church in Peabody before it closed, and was a member of the Third Order of St. Francis. Along with her late husband, she was instrumental in developing the Peabody Council on Aging and worked in the process of developing the idea for the old Seeglitz Peabody High School into a home for the Council and apartments for Senior Citizens. She was a very compassionate volunteer with the Council on Aging in Peabody, where she also acted as Treasurer, and in 1975 was awarded the first Woman of the Year by the Peabody C.O.A. She also volunteered with the Haven from Hunger. She is survived by: a daughter-in-law, Elizabeth Lamphier of South Harpswell, ME; three grandsons, Robert F. Lamphier, Jr., Roland Lamphier, and Edward Lamphier; four great-grandchildren; two brothers, Joseph Kolodziej and Alexander Kolodziej; three sisters, Mary Fallis, Stella Almeida, and Stasia Swinson, and several nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death, besides her husband and parents, by a son Robert Lamphier, her brothers John, Louis, Frank and Stanley Kolodziej. A visitation will be held on Thursday from 4 to 8 P.M. in the Conway, Cahill-Brodeur Funeral Home, 20 Church ST. location, Peabody. Relatives and friends are kindly invited to her funeral held on Friday, gathering 10 AM in the funeral home followed by a Funeral Mass at 11 AM in ST. John’s Church, Peabody. Burial will be in St. Mary’s Cemetery, Salem. Memorial donations may be made to the Carmelite Nuns, c/o 5 Wheatland St., Peabody, MA 01960 or to a charity of one’s choice.