Kathleen Dyson

STAFFORD, CT - Kathleen (Smith) Dyson of Stafford, died on Sunday August 6th 2017 at Broad Reach Hospice and Palliative Care in North Chatham, MA after battling for many years with a bone marrow failure disorder called MDS.

Kathleen, a daughter of the late George and Catherine Smith, was born in Worcester, MA in 1945. She attended Worcester Catholic grammar and high schools and graduated from Worcester State College with a degree in elementary education and from Eastern Connecticut State College with a master's degree in early childhood education.

Marrying John Dyson, then of Auburn, MA, in 1967, Kathleen and John eventually settled in Stafford in 1973 to raise 3 children, David, Deborah, and Cheryl. Most of the following years were spent as a stay-at-home mother and homemaker. She loved to travel, and after the youngest left the nest, travel she and John did. Many adventures were enjoyed covering the majority of the US; Eastern and British Columbia, Canada, Ireland, the U.K., Paris, Italy, Holland, Germany, Austria, Budapest, Mexico, and Switzerland, among the many places. She also spent the past 10 winters in the Florida warmth and the past 17 summers on Cape Cod. Never giving up, she kept on fighting to survive her deadly condition for more than 10 years, until she had no more left to fight with.

In addition to husband John, Kathleen leaves her son David and his wife, Sherry, her two daughters, Cheryl and her husband, Hank and Deborah and her husband, Jorge; as well as her 3 grandsons Kyle, Dario and Torin. Also surviving her are her two sisters, Ann Mirow and Nancy Keenan and her husband, Kevin; her four brothers, Robert and his partner, Jean, Richard and his wife, Kathy, William and Paul. She was predeceased by her brother, George in 2007 and his wife, Marion "Penny" in 2008. Her many nieces and nephews also will miss her dearly.

Family and friends will honor and celebrate Kathleen's life by gathering on Friday, August 18th from 9:00am until 10:30am at CALLAHAN, FAY & CASWELL Funeral Home, 61 Myrtle St., Worcester. A funeral Mass will be celebrated on Friday, August 18th at 11:00am at North American Martyrs Church, 8 Wyoma Dr., Auburn. A private burial service for family members will be held in Stafford at a later date.

The family asks that flowers be omitted. Instead, please consider making a donation in Kathleen's name to the MDS foundation www.mds-foundation.org/donate
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