Katherine (Hartley) Wyly

Katherine (Lynn) Hartley Wyly passed away peacefully in her home on November 18, 2025. In her rich life of nearly 90 years, she was an inspirational professor, engaged citizen, passionate arts patron, and a deeply loved wife, mother, and grandmother. 

Katherine was born in Miami Beach, Florida on October 12, 1936 to Howard W. Hartley and Jaquetta Wilson. She moved at a young age to the town of Clearwater in the Tampa Bay area, where she spent her childhood. She often shared fond memories of swimming and sailing in the Gulf with her friends or singing in the choir of her cherished Presbyterian Church. A precocious student, Katherine skipped a year in school and graduated from Clearwater High School in 1953, going on to earn her bachelor’s degree in French at Florida State University in 1957.   

It was at Florida State that Katherine met Ralph Donald Wyly, Jr, who would eventually become her husband. Katherine and Don met at the Tuesday afternoon student recitals in the university’s music department – they were both the rare non-music-major students who attended these concerts not because they were required to, but simply for the joy of listening. This mutual love of classical music became an enduring touchstone of their lives together. Katherine and Don married in 1958 and spent the next year in Paris, experiencing world-renowned ballet, theater and opera live for the first time. After spending a few years at Ohio State, where Don pursued his doctorate in English and Katherine taught dance, they returned to Europe in 1962 for a two-year fellowship in Rome that allowed Don to complete his dissertation research. In those years, they toured all over Europe together in their little Fiat 500, just big enough for the two of them and their camping gear.  

In 1965, Don and Katherine settled in Lutz, Florida, a small town north of Tampa. Don began his teaching career at the University of South Florida while Katherine pursued her own doctorate from the University of Florida, traveling back and forth from Tampa to Gainesville. After receiving her PhD in French literature in 1969, Katherine became a college professor at Hillsborough Community College, teaching humanities for over thirty years. She loved opening the eyes and minds of her students to the wonders of great art, music, and works of literature in Western civilization. Katherine would often quip with her students that she was not there to teach them a marketable skill or train them to perform a job; she was there because she wanted each of her students to become “an educated person” -- which for her meant appreciation of the greatest artistic achievements of humanity. Indeed, over her three decades of teaching, many students reconnected with “Dr. Wyly” long after they left her classroom to thank her for leaving an indelible impression on their lives. 

Katherine threw herself into raising her children with equal passion and commitment. She was a “doer” -- even while maintaining her career, she found time to be a guest speaker at the elementary school, throw backyard pool parties for birthdays, and serve as president of the youth softball association. She was also very active in Democratic politics in Hillsborough County, enthusiastically volunteering for political campaigns and organizing activities through the League of Women Voters. Katherine’s other passions were cooking, entertaining, and travel. Her dinner parties were legendary in the close-knit circle of academic friends that Katherine and Don maintained. And after she retired, Katherine returned to traveling with Don and with friends, visiting diverse destinations from Arizona to Amsterdam, Nova Scotia to Niagara Falls, and Rome and Paris once again. 

After Don’s death in 2012, and after nearly 50 years in Lutz, Katherine moved to Newton, Massachusetts in 2013. She soon reignited her love of art, music and dance, becoming a regular patron of the Museum of Fine Arts, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and most of all, her beloved Boston Ballet. True to her teaching roots, she spent several years as a volunteer tour guide with the Boston Ballet, stewarding guests on backstage tours and sharing her extensive knowledge of ballet. One of her greatest pleasures was introducing ballet performance to her grandchildren, and the highlight of her year was taking the family to The Nutcracker each Christmas season. But alongside her “highbrow” pursuits, she was also a fanatical football fan and was equally in her element watching Patriots games on TV with her friends. 

Katherine is predeceased by her brother, Howard Hartley, Jr, and her husband Don. She is survived by her daughters Melissa Taylor, Lynne Calligaro, and Susan Sayers, and her grandchildren Joseph Astrauskas and Katie Renshaw, Alexa and Ryan Calligaro, and Julia, Natalie and Lauren Sayers. 

There will be a memorial service for family and friends at Cabot Park Village on Wednesday November 26 at 10am.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Katherine’s honor to the Boston Ballet https://www.bostonballet.org/home/support/