Born on January 29, 1947 in New Haven, CT, she was the daughter of Henry and Opal (Wittwer) Kelly. Blythe was raised in Hamden, CT, and graduated from the Hamden Hall Country Day School. She graduated from the University of Bridgeport and Boston College, earning her Master’s Degree in Nursing. Following school, Blythe worked for St. Luke’s Hospital in San Francisco, CA, before moving back to Boston. She was employed by Massachusetts General Hospital and cared for countless patients in the Intensive Care Unit and Neurology Ward in the early 1970s. She and her husband, Dick, relocated from Boston to Concord in 1972. Mrs. Colby went on to teach nursing classes at Salem State College until the birth of her first son, after which time she devoted her life to raising and caring for her children.
Blythe was a passionate and talented gardener admired by her community, especially in Old Saybrook, CT. Furthermore, she was an exceptional artist who especially enjoyed painting with watercolors to capture the softness and light of her flowers in summer. Blythe was an accomplished pianist and an avid supporter of the Space Program, hoping one day to see the Earth from space. Mrs. Colby was also a longstanding member of the PEO Sisterhood in Concord and a devoted patron of the Museum of Fine Arts, Boston, the Old Lyme Art Association, CT, the Boston Symphony Orchestra and the Massachusetts Audubon Society. Most of all, she loved spending time with her family, especially with her boys.
Beloved wife of Richard A. “Dick” Colby of Concord; devoted mother of Seth K. Colby of Nashua, NH, Luke S. Colby of Watertown, Aaron H. Colby and his fiancé Elyse Laferriere of Watertown; loving sister of Sally Bierhaus of Ashville, NC, and Hank Kelly of Colorado, Blythe is also survived by many nieces, nephews, extended family and devoted friends. Her joyful personality and shining smile will be missed by all.
Memorial services will be held in the late spring/summer of 2020 in Old Saybrook, CT, the details of which will be shared when determined.
In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made in her memory to the Creutzfeldt-Jakob Disease Foundation, Inc., online: cjdfoundation.org
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