September 1, 1951 – February 25, 2013
Katherine Montaigne — who counseled special needs children, played a key role in the development of the Southern Chester County Soccer Association, and was a loving wife and mother of three children — died Monday, February 25, 2013 at Christiana Hospital after a brief illness. She was 61.
Katie, who was a beloved member of the Kennett Square and Chester County communities for nearly half a century, was born on September 1, 1951 in Seaford, Delaware, the oldest child of Jonathan Hildreth Dickeson Montaigne and Lois Katherine Horan. Katie attended the Rumson Country Day School in Rumson, NJ, and graduated from the Kent School in Kent, CT. She attended Georgetown University and the University of Delaware before graduating from the Mount Vernon College for Women in Washington, DC.
In 1983, she married Ian Stewart Mair, whom she had known since they were teenagers. Katie and Ian had three children: Ian Stewart Dickeson Mair, Katherine Ellis Fenwick Mair, and Benjamin Gibson Montaigne Mair, all of Kennett Square.
After working as a bookkeeper for The Wilmington Country Store, in Greenville, DE, and Wild Thyme in Centreville, DE, Katie became a job coach at the Chester County Intermediate Unit, counseling special needs children to become self-supporting adults. During her years at the CCIU, she had a tremendous influence on the lives of many students, school districts, and community partners.
Katie was a member of the Board of Directors of the Southern Chester County Soccer Association for over 25 years — the longest tenure of any board member. She was always a voice of reason, putting the needs of the children above all else. She was instrumental in the formation of the all-girls divisions, which were previously all co-ed, and assisted with the Latino outreach programs. She also helped start SCCSA's TOPSoccer program, an outreach initiative for people with physical and/or cognitive disabilities. She loved the kids and they loved her back. She could be found most Sundays in fall and spring at the soccer fields, helping with registrations or working at the information tent. Katie was also the league's contact with all the school districts in Southern Chester County, negotiating field use agreements from West Chester to Oxford. Sunday afternoon soccer in Chester County won't be the same without her.
Katie presided over a boisterous home in Kennett Square. She was an avid gardener, a breeder of Labrador retrievers, and a sports fan who loyally supported the numerous athletic endeavors of family and friends. She enjoyed fishing and all other outdoor activities. Katie also was a purveyor of the finest salsa in the region, which she sold at SIW Vegetables in Chadds Ford, PA.
Above all, Katie was a patient and loving caregiver — to her children, her husband, her nieces and nephews, and countless friends. A Quaker, she was a selfless woman whose wry, self-deprecating humor was frequently on display.
Katie was preceded in death by her parents. In addition to her husband and children, she is survived by her three sisters; Lois Hildreth Montaigne of North Wales, PA; Margaret Dickeson Montaigne of Houston, TX; Elizabeth Montaigne Applegate of Chadds Ford, PA; and their husbands — Jamie, Wyn, and Bobby. She is also survived by her nieces and nephews — Jonathan Evans, Maggie Evans, Eric Muller, Tory Muller, Katie Applegate, Bobby Applegate, and Russell Applegate — and numerous Mair cousins: Brinsley Davis, Nathaniel Davis, Christina Mair, Robert Mair, Rebecca Zickus, and Daniel Zickus.