Born on January 19, 1945, in Chicago, Illinois, Marguerite Kathryn Carey (Kathy)’s life was a testament to the power of education and the importance of nurturing young minds.

Her family moved from Chicago to Oklahoma City when she was 3 years old, and she completed her elementary and high school education there. After graduating from Trinity College in Washington, D.C. in 1966 with a degree in political science, Kathy’s career path led her from teaching at a Catholic girls’ high school in Massachusetts to the bustling streets of New York City, where she worked in book publishing at Simon & Schuster and then as a caseworker in the Department of Welfare.

Finding Her True Calling in Montessori

Kathy eventually found her way back to Oklahoma, where she discovered Montessori education while enrolled in an early childhood education master’s degree program at Oklahoma City University (OCU). She earned a Montessori Primary certification in 1972 and a Master of Arts in teaching in 1983. She went on to teach in the Montessori program at the Primary division of Casady School for a decade.

As an instructor at OCU's Montessori teacher education program for over four decades, alongside Peggy Loeffler, Bee Pape, and other Montessori trailblazers, Kathy shaped the careers of hundreds of future educators worldwide, leaving an indelible mark on the field of Montessori. According to longtime friend and student, Patti Tepper-Rasmussen, “Kathy had a vast knowledge and love of child development and inspired so many teachers with her love and care of their work.” One of her students, Charlotte Wood-Wilson, shared, “Kathy had an impact on us all. Practical Life was one of the first classes I took at OCU. Kathy was my teacher and after the first class, I knew I wanted to be a Montessori teacher.”

But Kathy’s influence in the world of Montessori did not stop there. She was a longtime member of the American Montessori Society and served as the co-editor for its magazine, Montessori Life, for nearly twenty years.

An Entrepreneurial Spirit

Kathy was more than just an educator, though; she was a visionary entrepreneur, co-founding Learning Tree Toys, Books, and Games in Oklahoma City in 1985 with Patti, and later establishing a Montessori preschool program at Wesley Church.

Charlotte, Kathy’s partner at the Wesley Church preschool program, recalls how their journey started. She shares:

Kathy came back after visiting Beth Bronsil [in Ohio] and said, “Let’s start a one-day Montessori school. Beth started a school and it meets one day a week; we can do it, too. Let’s find a space!” So we did! We met with the minister at a Methodist church near the OCU campus and they were delighted to have us. Kathy loved this little school. We both agreed it was the perfect way to retire.

Charlotte had some fun memories to share about their time together at the school, too:

After giving a lesson on baby doll bathing, one of the children went home and told her mother, who was giving her baby brother a bath, “That is not how Miss Kathy does it. You are doing it wrong.”

Philanthropic Work

Kathy’s entrepreneurial spirit was matched only by her dedication to community service, as evidenced by her involvement with many organizations throughout her lifetime including:

• YWCA of Oklahoma City, which is dedicated to eliminating racism, empowering women, and promoting peace, justice, freedom, and dignity for all
• Rainbow Fleet - beginning in 1972 as a three-van lending library, this organization offers child development and family programs and services throughout Oklahoma
• and PAMBE Ghana, an organization created to educate children in northern rural Ghana (in English and their native language, Mampruli), under the direction of Alice Iddi-Gubbels, a Ghanaian Montessori teacher at Westminster Day School.

First photo: Kathy in OKC. Next photo: Kathy receiving a chicken from her family in Bongbini.

As part of her work with PAMBE Ghana, Kathy spent several memorable and impactful weeks in Ghana in July 2008 where she led a presentation for potential teachers from the local villages on Montessori philosophy and pedagogy, where Patti says, “She was the catalyst for transforming their lives.” Four of the teachers continue teaching at La’Angum Learning Center (LLC), the school that was established following Kathy’s visit. Sixteen years later, LLC now educates over 250 children each year.

While in Ghana, Alice shares that Kathy was “adventurous and open to new and different ways of doing things. She visited many communities and connected with people, both young and old. She tried local foods and adapted well to local culture and traditions.”

Honoring Her Legacy

Those who knew Kathy describe her as fiercely independent, with a quick wit and an insatiable curiosity. She stood for fairness and truth, never shying away from speaking her mind. As Charlotte says, “Kathy was firm, but so kind as a person and instructor.”

Patti shares, “Kathy was a one-of-a-kind dedicated learner, teacher, and lover of life and all it offered her. She is missed by hundreds of teachers.”

Kathy with her children and children-in-law

Kathy's legacy lives on through her children, Carey and Puffer, their spouses, her four beloved grandchildren, and the countless individuals whose lives she touched.

Alice remembers her dear friend Kathy with a special message, “Dear Kathy, your body is gone but your spirit lives on. Your impact and legacy is deep and wide and lives on by the lives you touched. Rest in peace!”

As we bid farewell to Kathy Carey, let us honor her memory by embodying the values she held dear. May we strive to nurture the potential in every child, fight for social justice, and approach life with the same curiosity and zest that Kathy did. In her honor, consider making a donation to Rainbow Fleet, PAMBE Ghana, or Wesley Montessori Preschool, or, in echoing her family’s wishes, simply take a moment to do something special for a child in your life.