Katherine Hostetter Duffy

Katherine Hostetter Duffy passed away on February 8, 2022, leaving behind a loving family, a wide circle of friends and a community made immeasurably better by her contributions.

Kathy Hostetter was born in Charleston on March 12,1943, a daughter of Virginia and Ted Hostetter. She grew up on Wentworth Street with her beloved (if occasionally troublesome) brother Teddy, attended Cathedral School and spent much of her free time on Moultrie playground. She was a 1961 graduate of Bishop England High School where she met the love of her life, Michael Duffy. Over fifty-five years of (mostly!) wedded bliss, they had three children, seven grandchildren and traveled four continents.

After studying a year at Winthrop College, she returned to Charleston where she began her career in healthcare as a student at St. Francis Nursing School. She was the top graduate of her class and head of the state student nursing association.

She and Michael married in 1966 and after living in Columbia while Michael completed law school and Kathy worked as a registered nurse, they returned briefly to Charleston before moving to Germany for three years while Michael served as an MP and Kathy raised two active children.

Returning to Charleston, Kathy, a life-long learner, began her studies at the College of Charleston, eventually earning a Bachelors in Urban Planning and a Master's in Public Administration, magna cum laude, all while raising the aforementioned two children and adding a third - even more active - child. She continued her studies throughout her life, earning a Doctorate of Philosophy in Public Health at the University of South Carolina at the age of fifty-nine. Her three children were no longer quite as active. Having completed the highest levels of formal education, she continued her quest to learn, culminating in her recent “Covid Travels” series as she and Michael used the pandemic period to tour the state visiting (mostly outdoor) historic sights and inspiring friends and family to do the same.

Over the years, Kathy had a rich and varied professional career as head of her own consulting firm, Katherine Duffy and Associates, specializing in planning and research. From 1985-1988 she served as Executive Director of the Palmetto Lowcountry Health Systems Agency, the first woman to serve in that role throughout the statewide system. She was a sought-after expert in public health and administration, certified to testify in courts throughout South Carolina and presenting at national conferences throughout the United States. Her numerous professional accomplishments were widely acclaimed, locally and nationally, and benefited countless numbers of people.

As U.S. Secretary of Health and Human Services, Donna Shalala selected her grant proposal to service severely emotionally disturbed children as the top project in the country, leading to a multi-million-dollar grant to fund a project known as The Village. Former Director of Youth Services America Roger Landrum pointed to her study on how to promote youth involvement in South Carolina as “an extremely important contribution, not only in South Carolina but in other states and on the national level.” Her ground-breaking study on the causes of homelessness and her recommendations for addressing it led to the founding of what is now known as One Eighty Place. According to then Director of the Community Foundation Ruth Heffron, the project, one of the first of its kind, received regional and national acclaim as a prototype for serving homelessness. She also developed a strategic plan for a children’s museum, which is now beloved by local families as the Children’s Museum of the Lowcountry.

Her community involvement would take an entire page, but highlights include being elected as the president of the Charleston Dorchester Mental Health Board, serving on the state board of the League of Women Voters, and being appointed by the governor to the Foster Care Review Board. Perhaps her most defining community work was serving on the management board of the Roper Saint Francis Health System for multiple terms, which led to her being honored as the South Carolina Hospital Association Trustee of the Year in 2008.

But of her many accolades, honors, and titles, the one that mattered most to her was that of Mimi, which reflected her strongest role as a devoted and loving wife, mother and grandmother.

Kathy rejoiced in her Irish roots, loved a good joke and a fun party. She also embraced her German heritage which dictated that said parties are not too loud or too late. Kathy believed in everything in moderation, the power of thank you notes, accepting that life isn’t fair and always ate her vegetables. She enjoyed a rich full life; was vibrant, elegant, intelligent, inquisitive, tough, and funny; and she left this world a better place than she found it.

Kathy will be profoundly missed by her loving husband, Michael; her children and their spouses Katherine (Katie) Duffy Dueholm and husband, Mark; Patrick Michael Duffy, Jr. and wife, Kelly; Brian Cantwell Duffy and wife, Medea; her seven treasured grandchildren Anna and Jake Dueholm and Ella, Collin, Regan, Ava and Farrah Duffy.

The relatives and friends of Mr. and Mrs. Patrick Michael Duffy are invited to attend her Mass of Christian Burial to be celebrated at 11:30 AM, Friday, February 11, 2022, at Nativity Catholic Church,1061 Folly Rd. The Rite of Committal will follow at Holy Cross Cemetery. The family will receive friends Thursday evening at Nativity Catholic Church between 5:00 and 7:00 PM

For the health and comfort of all our friends and family, wearing a mask is requested.

In lieu of flowers donations may be made to the Roper St. Francis Hospital Foundation or One Eighty Place.

Arrangements by James A. McAlister, Inc. 1620 Savannah Hwy, Charleston, SC (843) 766-1365.