Katherine Finkelpearl

Katherine “Kitty” Finkelpearl died on August 5, 2024 in the house in Shaker Village, Harvard MA that she and her husband Philip had bought in 1956. She was 99. Born in Pittsburgh, PA in 1925 to Helen Frost Dice and Justus Howard Dice, both librarians, she earned her BA in Art and French from Wooster College and her Masters in Library Science from Carnegie Tech (now Carnegie Mellon University). In 1948, she married Philip Finkelpearl, also of Pittsburgh, an ideal union for 66 years, only ending with his death in 2014.

She had a distinguished career as Art Librarian at Vassar College in the 60’s and at Wellesley College in the 70’s and 80’s, where her infallible memory and sense of organization as well as her deep love and knowledge of art served her (and others!) well.

She was also herself an artist, her style ranging from abstract expressionism early on to cut-out canvas installations, and large canvases of nature and architecture painted with delicate washes. Around the time of her retirement from Wellesley she had a string of successful shows at venues including Mobius, the alternative space in Boston, and Wellesley College. Most notably, she created a set design on her beloved Shaker theme for a collaboration with the choreographer Beth Soll in Santa Monica that the Los Angeles Times called “remarkable.”

To friends, she and her husband were inextricably tied to the beautiful house filled with books and art--as well as treasures from the take-it-or-leave-it area in the Town of Harvard dump; she was a child of the Great Depression, after all.

Several people have referred to her as a “legend” in Harvard, for her longevity and independence. She could be seen swimming at Bare Hill Pond well into her late 90’s and mowing the lawn at her house where she lived independently until the final year of her life. She was not only physically active, but mentally engaged and quite opinionated, not only about politics (she was to the left of the Democratic Party), but also about issues of taste and aesthetics. Her sense of humor only grew stronger in her final years. When asked the secret to her vitality, she always said “keep moving,” sometimes also adding that Celtics Coach Red Auerbach advised: “don’t fall.” In the end, alas, she did.

She is survived by daughter Ellen of Pasadena, son Tom of NYC (+ wife Eugenie), grandchildren Sarah Condomitti (+husband Dan), Thomas Dickey, and Jukie Tsai, and great-grandchildren Jeremy and Dylan Condomitti. She will be greatly missed by friends, family, and extended family.

Funeral services will be private.