Paid Notice: Kathleen Ingrid Burns, known as Deedee and Kathy to her family and friends, died in New York City on September 28th with her beloved son Thomas by her side.
In Thomas’ words, “she went home to the stars and God peacefully and with grace.”
Her legion of friends in East Hampton, New York and Palm Beach described her as “fun, elegant, kind, loyal and generous.”
She was a graduate of The Chapin School and Bennett College, and at one time worked for Time Life.
She loved East Hampton, her second home since 1946. A long-time member of The Maidstone Club, she enjoyed tennis and golf, and every summer looked forward to swimming in the ocean, particularly when it was blue flag. Growing up in East Hampton found her square dancing at the tennis house, kicking up her heels in the Village Vanities, and riding at Fanny Gardiner’s. In addition to Maidstone, she was a member of the Colony Club and The Bath and Tennis Club.
She was a member of the Diamond Horseshoe of the Metropolitan Opera, on the board of Face Forward, and a generous benefactor of The Collado Water Project. She was also the co-founder of Light Up A Life to benefit pediatric care at New York Hospital.
A long-time trustee of International House, she was an active participant in I-House World Council of Alumni, which was created in1968 by her late uncle, Bill Frohlich. She loved her world travels with I-House, and London was her perennial favorite destination. A lifelong Anglophile, she was especially proud of a response she received from the Queen’s Lady-in-Waiting and of having made King Charles laugh at a reception she and he attended.
Along with her devoted son, Thomas Preston Bartle III, she is survived by her sister, Madeleine Deirdre Burns, her niece KirstenMadeleine Camp, her nephew, Robert Burns Miller, and two great nieces, Tamarin and Lily Camp.
A celebration of life will be held in East Hampton next summer.