May 25, 1945 - August 25, 2026
Kathleen Johnston Dyer, 81, a former Montgomery Township school teacher from Belle Mead, New Jersey, died on August 25, 2026 while a resident at The Delaney of Bridgewater in Bridgewater. She died peacefully and quietly after a long battle with Alzheimer’s disease with family members in close attendance.
Kathleen (Kathy) was born on May 25, 1945, at the Cottage Hospital in Santa Barbara, California, to William McDow Johnston, Jr., and Marion McFall Johnston. She grew up in Southern California and was a graduate of University High School, Los Angeles, and San Diego State College, San Diego, in 1967 with a BA degree in social sciences and a major in elementary education. She later completed post-graduate work in the same field of study at the University of California, Irvine, in order to earn her California lifetime teaching credential. She taught in elementary schools in Tustin and in Los Angeles before moving with her family to New Jersey in 1979.
Kathy spent several years as a housewife and mentor to her three children in New Jersey, but as they grew and were educated through the entire Montgomery Township School System, she gradually returned to the teaching profession as an elementary teacher in Montgomery Township. First as a substitute teacher, then as a full-time first grade teacher. She was a highly respected teacher and was often requested by the families of in-coming first graders as the teacher for their children. She loved teaching youngsters to read, and would rejoice when she saw a child “get it.” She always kept stacks of fun books for her students to read so that their reading skills would become well-founded and their joy of reading would continue to grow.
During those years she also served as a Brownie leader. She loved teaching and being involved with the Brownies, and was totally devoted to her young students, Brownies, and their families, all of whom she regarded as a big part of her own family. When she retired, she always said that she didn’t really miss all the hard work she put into teaching, but that she really and truly missed being with all the children whom she loved so much.
Among her many interests outside her professional life was a love for antique automobiles with a particular affection for horseless carriages, which are those cars built before 1916. She was a lifetime member of the Horseless Carriage Club of America and a number of affiliated clubs and organizations, and along with her husband Hugh owned a small number of antique autos. Her favorites were their 1911 Maxwell and their 1911 Ford Model T Touring Car. She had an amazing and wonderful circle of friends in the antique auto community who were both great friends and great rescue workers when one of the cars decided it needed some special attention out in the middle of nowhere. She always enjoyed the time she spent with her old-car friends, both socially and while driving down the road on the many tours she participated in throughout much of the Northeast, parts of the Midwest, and Southern Ontario. Altogether she navigated probably thousands of miles in both the Maxwell and the Model T, all at very respectable speeds along many roads less travelled but well-suited for horseless carriages. There were also frequent stops at wonderful and unusual places often overlooked by those in modern cars on the main roads and in a big hurry.
Kathy was a long-time member of the Beverly Yacht Club in Marion, Massachusetts, where she spent some of her summers when she was still teaching and all of her extended summers after she retired. She always enjoyed her summer home in Marion and loved sailing and cruising the waters around Cape Cod and the islands of Cuttyhunk, Martha’s Vineyard, and Nantucket. She was always very much at home on either a sail or power boat, and was always great at crewing and at coming up with a good meal while cruising, whether underway or at anchor in one of the many secluded harbors around Southeast Massachusetts. When her summers went on into November after she retired, she not only enjoyed the extended boating season but also took great glee in assuming the totally uncharacteristic role of a witch and, along with a few other “witches,” leading several hundred costumed children from Marion and surrounding towns down Front Street during Marion’s annual Halloween Parade.
Kathy is survived by her husband of nearly fifty-six years, Hugh N. Dyer, III and by their three children and their families: Hugh N. Dyer, IV, his wife Meegan E. Dyer of Aurora, Illinois, and their daughters Audrey and Elizabeth; William R. Dyer, his wife Christine M. Dyer of Cranford, New Jersey, and their children Andrew and Molly; and Kathleen (Kacey) Caird Dyer Schreckengost and her husband Kurt F. Schreckengost of Hampton, New Jersey, and their sons Conor and Cameron. She is also survived by her brother William M. Johnston, III of Portland, Oregon, and his sons Patrick and Derek.
Funeral and burial services will be private. A celebration of her life was held at the Harlingen Reformed Church in Belle Mead, on September 26,.
In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to the Harlingen Reformed Church or to the church, synagogue, or charity of your choice.
