Katherine Platten Tyson

Katherine Platten Tyson, 80, of Marshfield, formerly of Scituate and Sudbury, Massachusetts, passed away on Friday, December 2nd. She was born in New York, New York and raised in Darien, Connecticut. In her lifetime, Katherine was a clinical social worker, a devoted wife, mother, grandmother and friend.

In 1960, Katherine graduated from Darien High School in Connecticut and then attended Pine Manor Junior College in Massachusetts. She married Randolph Scarborough Naylor of Darien and had three children, Barret Platten Naylor, of Edgartown, Katherine Campbell Naylor, of Edgartown and Peter Randolph Naylor of North Palm Beach, Florida. Katherine and Randolph were members of the Norton Presbyterian Church where they were leaders in the Shac Youth Program for several years. 

After her children were raised, she initiated a career start by attending Lesley College where in 1985, she achieved her Bachelor of Science. Subsequently, Katherine enrolled in the Masters Program at Simmons College, where she graduated with a Masters in Social Work in 1987. Within her career as a MSW, LICSW, she provided clinical services to Concord State Prison, Polaroid and the Hospice of South Shore. Because she exhibited an expertise in such a diverse range of communities, she was often asked to participate on leadership boards and panels. The respect and friendships of her colleagues carried on throughout her lifetime.

During this time period, Katherine remarried and became the wife of the late John R. Tyson. They were happily married for 26 years. While living in Scituate, they became members of The First Trinitarian Congregational Church. She became the stepmother of John R. Tyson, Jr. of Hampton, New Hampshire and Diana Tyson Leavitt of Stratford, New Hampshire. In their later years, Kathy and Jack started a small business creating hand crafted foot stools. She was the painter and he the woodworker. ‘Fun Fish’ was the main stay at several local craft fairs along the South Shore where ‘Grammie’ and ‘PeePaw’ would often engage their grandchildren to help man the booth and make a sale.

Throughout her lifetime, Kathy never lived far from the water and taught her family to love and the beach as much as she did. From the waves on the Jersey Shore to the cottages on Martha’s Vineyard, to shelling on Sanibel and Captiva Island to sipping rum punches on Jamaica, the ocean was her happy place. Kathy was an amazing story teller, had a great sense of humor and played a mean game of charades. She never missed an opportunity to give a ‘Grammie’ hug on a birthday and her dimpled smile would light up any room.

Katherine was predeceased by her parents, Donald and Margaret Platten, her husband John R. Tyson, her brother Peter Platten, her son, Barret Naylor and her grandson Carter Tyson. She is survived by her sister Alison Vanderbilt of Woodland Hills, California, her daughter in-law Kim, daughter Cammie, son Peter and his wife Robin, her stepson John and his wife Sue, her stepdaughter Diana and her husband Mark, grandchildren Christian, Whitney, Katherine, Brooke and Juli. 

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, January 7, at 10:30am at Christ Church in Summit, NJ. In lieu of flowers, a donation can be made in Memory of Katherine Tyson at the Hospice Foundation of America.