Catherine C. Moulton, 89, passed away peacefully on August 5, 2023 at The Hill at Whitemarsh in Lafayette Hill PA, where she and her husband, Hugh, have lived for 16 years.
Born in Richmond Virginia, Katie grew up in Rochester, New York and graduated from Mt. Holyoke College where 70 years ago she met her future husband, then a student at nearby Amherst College. Proud mother of son H. Geoffrey Moulton, Jr. and daughter Cynthia M. Bassett, grandmother of Geoffrey Bassett, Melissa Moulton, Scott Bassett and Emily Parker, as well as great grandmother of four great grandchildren ages 1 to 4.
In the early years of their marriage, she taught nursery and elementary school, first in Connecticut supporting Hugh while he was attending Yale Law School, and later at several private schools in Montgomery County.
An active volunteer in community affairs, Katie served on several non-profit Boards, including Germantown Academy, the Highlands Historical Society and the Ambler Theater. In 1975, she was a founder and first President of the Highlands Historical Society, which owns and operates the 40-acre Highlands Mansion and Gardens estate in Fort Washington, and remained an active member of the Board until her death. Much of the success of the Society has been the result of her leadership. As a Highlands colleague recently observed, Katie was “a kind and generous person with a bit of spitfire which everyone appreciated”. In June 2023, the Highlands named its 28 acres of protected open space the “Moulton Meadow Preserve” in her honor.
In their later years the couple travelled extensively, including 25 voyages on small ships to destinations including Antarctica in 1993 and the Northwest Passage in 2015. She particularly enjoyed gatherings of the entire family at their summer home in Chatham MA, most recently in July 2023.
Family and friends are invited to a celebration of Katie’s life on Sunday, September 24, from 4 to 6 pm, at the Highlands, 7001 Sheaff Lane, Fort Washington PA 19034. Gifts in Katie’s memory may be sent to the Highlands Historical Society, at the above address, or Germantown Academy, 340 Morris Road, Fort Washington, PA 19034. .