Kathleen Davison Riddell

Kathleen “Kathy” Davison Riddell, age 85, died peacefully at her home in Chatham, Massachusetts, after a long illness.
Born to Elizabeth and Edward Davison, Kathy was raised in Glen Ellyn, Illinois. She attended Miami University in Oxford, Ohio, graduating in 1961 after completing her coursework early so that she could marry her college classmate and the love of her life, Robert “Bob” Riddell.
Following their marriage, Kathy and Bob lived in West Bend, WI, where she taught elementary school before leaving the profession to raise their family. In 1965, they moved to Ridgefield, Connecticut, for Bob’s pilot career, where Kathy devoted herself to raising their children and volunteering her time to numerous school and community activities. When her children were in high school, she began a second career with Boehringer Ingelheim, where she worked until retirement.
Retirement marked the beginning of a cherished new chapter for Kathy and Bob on Cape Cod. Together they built a beautiful home in Chatham and embraced all that life there had to offer. Kathy was an active member of her garden club, book club, and several bridge groups. An accomplished needleworker in many mediums, she also possessed a remarkable eye for flower arranging, art, and gardening. Her perennial gardens reflected both her creativity and her love of nature. She found endless pleasure in the natural beauty surrounding her home, collecting shells and blossoms, and observing the birds and aquatic life visible from her back deck.
Summers in Chatham were filled with family, friends, and a full calendar of entertaining. Kathy and Bob also enjoyed traveling the world and reconnecting with lifelong friends. Among her greatest joys was becoming a grandmother to five energetic grandchildren. She delighted in creating memorable experiences for them, from beach days, crafts, scavenger hunts, and nature walks to board games, puzzles, movie nights, holiday celebrations, and special homemade desserts.
Kathy will be remembered for her joyful spirit, impeccable manners, genuine warmth, and deep enjoyment of friendships old and new. She was a fierce bridge and card player, an avid reader with wide ranging literary tastes, and a remarkably fast crossword puzzle solver. Her kindness, curiosity, and enthusiasm for life enriched the lives of all who knew her.
Kathy is survived by her beloved husband of 65 years, Robert D. Riddell of Chatham; her daughter, Sarah Devlin; her son and daughter-in-law, Michael Riddell and Alison Hobart;  her daughter-in-law, Sheri Riddell; and her grandchildren, Hannah, Emma, and Kate Paxton, and Ethan and Lydia Riddell.
She was preceded in death by her son, Robert “Bobby” Riddell, and her sister, Diane Martin.
Kathy’s family will remember her with gratitude for a life filled with love, generosity, friendship, beauty, and devotion to those she cherished most. 
Kathy’s life will be celebrated privately with family at a later date.