Katharine Kaynor Turpie, 80, passed away suddenly on Sept. 3, 2025, from heart failure while vacationing in Maine.  

Kate—also affectionately known to many as Kitty, Kit, or Gramma Cake—grew up in Longmeadow, Massachusetts, with beloved parents Bill and Bunnie Kaynor, graduating from Longmeadow High School in 1962. She went on to study Art History and Math at Vassar College in Poughkeepsie, New York, graduating in 1966. She worked as a computer programmer/systems analyst at Aetna before meeting the young lawyer from Maine, Martin Turpie, who was renting a room next door in Longmeadow. She married Martin and devoted herself to raising their four children, instilling in them her steadiness, calm, and understanding. They purchased a seasonal cottage at Ocean Point in East Boothbay, Maine together—a place Kate treasured—before even owning a year-round residence. She went on to make her home in East Longmeadow, MA, where she lived for 50 years. 

Kate was an avid reader, sudoku puzzle enthusiast, crafter, creative quilt maker, rock painter, budding ceramicist, admired family chef and Christmas cookie baker (always humming while she cooked), and ever-cheerful companion. She loved to start each day with a hot cup of coffee (or two!). She will be remembered for her warm, welcoming smile, sparkly blue eyes, her gift for witty conversation, her giggle, generosity, and kindness. She made a career of volunteering, serving as President of the Junior League of Springfield, a local Girl Scout troop leader and board member, president of Mountain View School PTO, and East Longmeadow School Committee Chairwoman. She nurtured her fascination with the natural sciences as a docent at the Springfield Science Museum for several years. A lifelong learner, Kate very much enjoyed the intellectual stimulation and camaraderie of her many book clubs, theater groups, gourmet group, and current events club. She traveled the world and planned epic family adventures out west.  

During the summer months, Kate loved to be at Ocean Point where she savored the view, the surf, and the close community—dedicating many Sunday mornings to chatting on the sidelines at weekly softball games. She was a longtime member and former president of the Ocean Point Colony Trust, and an inaugural member of the local OPWA. She compiled and edited the first edition of the Ocean Point Cookbook: Recipes and Memories, 1992. Local Ocean Point teens at the time fondly remember testing her recipes, especially “Turpie version” peanut butter squares. 

After Martin passed away in 2005, Kate spent the years traveling, visiting friends, caring for her rescue dog, Shadow, and enjoying being in her kids’ and grandkids’ orbits. In 2017, she met eyes with the man next door at Ocean Point and they shared a warm smile. After 52 years of being neighbors, they married in 2020 and traveled extensively together, walked many miles hand-in-hand, and established a home in Tucson, Arizona. They were just shy of their fifth wedding anniversary. 

Kitty delighted in the company of her numerous cousins and extended family, especially at the biennial Kaynor-Reed Thanksgiving, a century-old tradition in the Springfield area. Her devotion to family history ran deep—she traced her genealogy back 400 years after researching seemingly endless boxes of family history. 

Above all, Gramma Kate loved nothing more than being surrounded by her children and grandchildren, no matter the occasion. 

She is survived by her husband, Stephen Johnson; sister, Nancy Kaynor (Chris Libby); daughter, Erica O’Connor (Daniel); son, Bruce Turpie (Ellen); daughter, Andrea Steele (Doug); daughter, Dana Wilson (Eben); nine grandchildren: Duncan, Marty, and Kevin O’Connor, Annabelle and Paxton Turpie, Trevor and Anna Steele, and Elise and Lettie Wilson; stepson Scott Johnson (Laura Rendano); sister-in-law Alison Butterworth (David); nephew David Butterworth II; niece Emma Libby; and many cherished cousins and kin. She was predeceased by her husband of 38 years, Martin D. Turpie; and her brother, Kirk Kaynor. 

Memorial and interment services will be private. The family also plans to hold a separate memorial at Ocean Point in summer 2026. 

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to the Springfield Science Museum (springfieldmuseums.org) or Ocean Point Colony Trust (oceanpointcolonytrust.org). 

She will be deeply missed by her family, friends, and all who were fortunate enough to share in her warmth and kindness. 

Arrangements are under the care of Hall Funeral Home and Cremation Services. To share a memory or condolence with the Turpie family, visit www.hallfuneralhomes.com.