Kathleen Dayton Obituary

So sorry to hear that Kathy passed, she was my friend. We spent several New Years Eves together and always had a great time spending time together.
Rest peacefully Kathleen...

Maria and family
Lori and family
I just found this online today and I am so sorry I am just now sending my prayers and condolences to y´all. Kathy and I were friends from 1972 when we were both candystripers at Roper Hospital until 2011. Thirty-nine years is a long time for a friendship to last. There are so many things I could say and memories I could share but I have to let this news sink in. I will say that I wish I could still have the young, free-spirited, passionate and adventurous person I once knew as a part of my life. We can´t always have our dreams fulfilled. Please know that I know you are still missing her and that grief takes many forms and has it´s own timeline. She was always working against a timeline with her writing and would admit to being a big procrastinator. I wish she could have prolonged her life in a way that would have been more peaceful. I know she is at peace now.
Mary Hutto
Georgetown SC

I am shocked and grieving to learn of Kathleen's passing. When I came to the Charleston Regional Business Journal in 2007, she immediately befriended me (I was her editor), and took me to gallery openings, the finest restaurants, the region's hot spots and other delights that I would have never known about as an outsider.

We worked together only for a year, but she made an enormous impact on my life, and my memories of Charleston and its environs are colored by her great kindness and warmth, as well as by her huge writing talent. Editing her stories was a breeze -- and a pleasure.

I am so, so sorry for the family's loss. Kathleen was a special person in so many ways. Peace to all.

I first met Kathy in 6th grade at FB, where we immediately clicked and became childhood best friends. We shared the same sense of humor, both shy, and had the ability to laugh at ourselves first, before finding the humor in others. We formed a private club together with 2 other classmates, and drew cartoons and wrote short stories of our humorous experiences and adventures together.
She would always get a kick out of teachers calling me by my proper name, instead of my familiar nickname. We hated PE, but loved the walk down the alley to the playground near the Battery. We watched Dark Shadows together, ghost stories and classic old movies, played Cat Stevens at her house, and loved the beauty of our city. We shared the love of our antebellum South and our beautiful plantations and history, especially Charleston, with her huge oak trees lined with Spanish Moss.
We would occasionally see each other out shopping, but life's responsibilities always seemed to get in the way of any permanent rebonding. She was so proud of her daughter, Maria, which I had the pleasure of meeting as a little girl in Kerrison's. And, I am thankful for those memories and our shared moments together.
The last time I saw Kathy, she was flying out of the Charleston International Airport with Lori to Atlanta to celebrate her "big 5-0" birthday. And, she hadn't aged a bit!
We both dreamt of owning a mansion South of Broad one day. Kathy now has her mansion in Heaven, playing Beethoven's Moonlight Sonata on her baby grand with the angels and her precious Mom by her side.
My friend was special, smart, and multi-talented, and fun. And, she will always hold a special place in my heart. I love you, Kathy.
Condolences to her daughter, grandchildren, sister, and niece.
Sherry

I am so very sorry for your loss.

I am saddened to learn my South Carolina friend has passed. Saddened and so surprised — I was in touch with Kathleen very recently. Our Canadian-American friendship began about 20 years ago when The Sun Times reporter called me — a reporter with Kingston This Week in Ontario, Canada. She was working up a story on whether the low dollar (about $1 CND = 63 cents US) would deter Snowbirds coming for Can-Am Days in Myrtle Beach. We hit it off in that initial phone call and when my family arrived in MB (we took the hit, desperate for green grass and azaleas) I met her for coffee.
We’ve been friends ever since.
We shared dinners in Murrells Inlet and long, long chats about the demise of newspapers at her home. Letters and emails and phone calls have kept us connected.
She sent me socks at Christmas, ever aware of our cold winters. Said she’d love to visit.
I truly cannot believe my sweet southern friend is gone.
How I wish I could show her my town and extend the kind of hospitality she unfailingly extended to me. For all those years.

Kathleen was a colleague at The Sun News and a pleasure to work with and get to know. She was an excellent reporter and writer. We also shared a fondness for cats and piano music. I was very sad to hear of her passing.

To My Sister,
You left too soon.
Who will I share my funny stories with?
Who will chat with me about everything and nothing until the wee hours of the morning?
Who will play the Schubert Fantasy or the Brahams Waltzes with me, laughing at our mistakes, but sometimes getting it just right? And why didn't we do that one last time?
Who will help me remember names and events from our lives?
Who will send me a Christmas box of cutely wrapped packages - perfect little gifts because you knew me so well?
Who will travel with me to nostalgic places - or maybe to somewhere we've never been? Oh, but you are already in Paradise far from the cares of this world. "All bells in paradise I heard them ring". So, please save me a seat at the table. I will be missing you every day.
Love, Lori

My grandmother Kathy was a beautiful woman. She was a creator, a writer and a virtuoso. I inherited these passions from her, and will see her in everything I ever create. When I was younger, she would always keep my restaurant napkin scribbles, cherish them as if they were Picassos. It was not uncommon to find her fridge adorned with my drawings, with poems she encouraged me to write. I loved her so much- her fondness for animals, filling her home with rescue cats; her adoration for the arts, a career of ingenuity; her ability to see the world as a poetic landscape. She felt things so deeply, so humanly. It is impossible to speak of how much I miss her in such a short paragraph. I will always love her, and I will feel her loss every single day until we meet again.

My Grandma, was a sweet loving person who cared so much for me and my family. I´ll always remember all the times we spent together, i´ll hope to one day be able to play the piano amazing as she could, she was gifted in many ways. I always looked up to be as smart as she was. We will all miss and love you forever

My grandmother Kathy was very loving and smart. I will always remember her playing the piano and showing us her talented writing. We love you Kathy and will reunite with you when God´s timing allows.

So sorry to hear of Kathleen's passing... I was in high school with her at First Baptist High School.
She is at peace now.
Condolences to her family...

Kathleen made an impact on my life. Although it was brief, the year (1992-93) we worked together was special in many ways - she will certainly be missed.

I am so saddened to learn of Kathy´s passing. She was a sensitive soul and a kind person.

My Mother
My childhood is full of happy memories and rich experiences because of who she was. She was an accomplished writer full of talent and curiosity about the world around her. Weekends were spent touring old homes, attending Symphony concerts, making our way through museums or jumping in the car last minute for an impromptu trip. My Mother loved old movies, violin music, fireflies at dusk, the Blue Ridge mountains in the Fall, waterfront dining, Christmas carols and collecting seashells. She loved deeply and never missed a Good Friday service. Most of all, she introduced me to Jesus and took me to church faithfully which is the greatest accomplishment a parent can have. She leaves behind a spiritual inheritance through her Faith in Christ to her Daughter and Grandchildren. The days ahead will feel sad and empty, but I take comfort knowing my Mom is in Paradise with Jesus.
I love you Mom, you will be present in our hearts always. Maria

My childhood is full of happy memories and rich experiences because of who she was. She was an accomplished writer full of talent and curiosity about the world around her. Weekends were spent touring old homes, attending Symphony concerts, making our way through museums or jumping in the car last minute for an impromptu trip. My Mother loved old movies, violin music, fireflies at dusk, the Blue Ridge mountains in the Fall, waterfront dining, Christmas carols and collecting seashells. She loved deeply and never missed a Good Friday service. Most of all, she introduced me to Jesus and took me to church faithfully which is the greatest accomplishment a parent can have. She leaves behind a spiritual inheritance through her Faith in Christ to her Daughter and Grandchildren. The days ahead will feel sad and empty, but I take comfort knowing my Mom is in Paradise with Jesus.
I love you Mom, you will be present in our hearts always. Maria