Local obituary: Katharine Pease, 41, Hyde Park mother of three and Wellesley native

Katharine Maria Pease (nee O’Connell) passed away at Brigham and Women’s Hospital on Tuesday, December 12th. She was 41. Kate was the wife of Gregory Pease, and loving mother of Coraline Pease (9), Joseph Pease (7), and Eleanor Pease (3). The Pease family lives in Hyde Park.

Kate was born in Boston and grew up in Wellesley. She attended Tenacre Country Day School, Wellesley Middle School, and graduated from Wellesley High School. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree from UMass, Amherst, with a major in Environmental Studies and a minor in Computer Science. She was employed at Harvard University for 15 years, most recently as Associate Director, University Leasing & Space Planning.

Other than her family, Kate’s passion was for nature and for the sea. While in middle school, Kate attended an environmental summer camp in California where she hiked, camped, sea kayaked, snorkeled, and made many friends. She spent a semester in her junior year studying at the University of Hawaii, where she had the delight of swimming with giant sea turtles. She worked at an internship at the Turner Falls Fisheries in Western Massachusetts, where she counted species of fish going up a fish ladder. Kate loved to scuba dive, an activity she and Greg enjoyed whenever they could.

Kate loved to travel. She spent a summer month in Europe with family members, and another summer went on holiday to Australia and New Zealand.  She has visited Sandy Island in summer for more than 3 decades.  

Kate and Greg have been married for 10 plus years. Theirs has been a beautiful and loving marriage. They coached sports teams, drove to many dance lessons, horseback riding lessons, spent many hours at ice rinks, traveled to scuba destinations, and participated in scouting.

Kate was the daughter of James D. O’Connell (who passed away two days before Kate), and Joan Gillespie. She was the middle child of five. She is survived by Genevieve O’Connell, her partner Blair Evans, and their children Benedict and Diana; Thomas O’Connell and his wife Kristine; Jacob O’Connell; and Margaret O’Connell and her fiance Alastair Erickson. She is the well-loved daughter-in-law of Barry and Theresa Pease of Falmouth, and sister-in-law to Benjamin Pease, his wife Kay, and her niece Melody.  

Visiting hours will be held in the Eaton Funeral Home, 1351 Highland Ave., Needham, on Tuesday, December 19th, from 4 PM to 7 PM. A Memorial Service will be held at the First Church and Parish – Dedham, 670 High St., Dedham, on Wednesday, December 20th,  at 11 AM. The Memorial Service will be livestreamed. To view the live stream, click on this link: https://www.harborview.live/pease

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made for long term support of Kate’s children at https://gofund.me/308a666d.

This local obituary is published via Legacy.com and Eaton Funeral Home. Want a loved one’s obituary featured on Boston.com? Submit your obituary here, or email it to [email protected].