Kate grew up in Waterbury, Connecticut, where she was born on March 6th, 1956, the third of four children of Edmund Scully Smith and Eleanor McGrath Smith. She attended Fox Hollow school in Lenox, Massachusetts, and Colby-Sawyer college in New London, New Hampshire.
Kate moved to Atlanta in the summer of 1976 after meeting her future husband, Jim, while on a group trip to Europe. They were married on August 25th, 1979. Kate began working in the admissions office at Trinity School in 2001, and was the receptionist there for the past 10 years.
Kate had a boundless enthusiasm for the outdoors. She was an avid tennis player all of her life. She snow skied. She swam. She ran numerous half marathons. She hiked with friends in the mountains surrounding Cashiers, North Carolina. She loved long walks on the beach and in the neighborhood with her dog Jake. But if it was too cold or raining, she always had a jigsaw puzzle close by.
Kate was known most of all for her contagious joy. She had the ability to improve the mood of every room she entered. Her open heart attracted deep and committed friendships, and she sowed meaningful relationships throughout each chapter of her life. She lived her life with an unrivaled cheer. In Jim’s eyes, she was the happiest person he has ever known; few would disagree.
Kate is survived by her devoted husband of 42 years, James Joseph Brissette; her son Alexander McGrath Brissette and his wife Athena; her daughter Eleanor Brissette Kameen and her husband Alex; her grandchildren James Kameen and Hayes Kameen; her sisters Sarah Smith of Boston and Norah Webster of Georgetown, Maine and her husband Clifford; her brother John Smith of Carmel, Indiana and his wife Theresa; and nine nieces and nephews. They will all miss her greatly.
There will be a funeral mass for Kate at the Cathedral of Christ the King at 10am on Friday, February 18th, followed by a private burial service at Arlington Memorial Park. In lieu of flowers, Kate’s family requests that donations be made in her memory to Trinity School.
