Kathryn J. Sykes Obituary
Kathryn "Kay" (Somers) Sykes, 86, passed away on Friday, September 20, 2024, with her family at her side.
She grew up in Eastern Point in Gloucester, MA and was the daughter of Helen (Benham) Somers Corliss and Leslie Merton Somers. Although she always loved living near the ocean, she spent most of her life in Boston, MA, Lexington, MA, and Alexandria, VA.
Kay graduated from Colby Sawyer College in New London, NH, and University of Massachusetts (summa cum laude) with a B.A. She went on to University of Virginia in Charlottesville, VA majoring in Psychology and Special Education and received a Master's in this field.
Kay had always wanted to teach, especially to work with students whose learning problems were compounded by the deprivation that accompanies poverty. She found great success in this and went on to study teaching English to students of other languages and working with children and adults from war torn countries around the world.
Her love of reading led her to apply to Harvard Graduate School where she received a full fellowship and was an advisee of Jean Chall known as the "Reading Guru.". At Harvard she became interested in linguistics after studying with Dr. Wilga Rivers and Dr. Roger Brown, leading to a post graduate degree in that field. This also led to her interest in further linguistics studies. Kay also won a full fellowship to study linguistics at Georgetown University in Washington, DC.
Kay married John Eaton Sykes, an Englishman raised in South Africa, and they enjoyed traveling to England, France, as well as parts of the U.S.
Their two sons, Geoffrey Eaton and Myles John, were a constant joy and inspiration to her.
Kay had the most wonderful smile. Her life was marked by her abiding love and enduring devotion to her family, especially her two devoted sons and her friends as well as her unconditional commitment to helping people in need. She was gifted with an extraordinary capacity for empathy, generosity, and kindness.
Kay is survived by her two sons, Geoffrey and Myles.
Visiting hours will be held on Friday, October 4, 2024, at St. Anthony Chapel, 40 Farrington Ave, Gloucester, from 9:30-10:30 a.m. A Mass will be celebrated at 10:30 a.m. followed by burial in Calvary Cemetery. Relatives and friends are cordially invited to attend.
Arrangements by the Greely Funeral Home, 212 Washington Street, Gloucester.
