Kathryn (Kady) DeSutter of Burlington, Vt., passed away on Monday, May 25, 2026, from glioblastoma. She is survived by her husband, Brian Clow; daughter, Evelyn Clow (age 4); and son, Jonah Clow (age 2), in addition to her parents, Steve and Linda DeSutter, and sister, Sarah DeSutter.
Kathryn was born on June 30, 1991, in Mooresville, N.C. She spent her childhood exploring her backyard on beautiful Lake Norman and learning to sail a small Sunfish boat. She grew up surrounded by loving family, as well as wonderful friends and teachers at Cannon School. Kathryn enjoyed giving back to others and began volunteer work in high school at the Latin American Coalition in Charlotte, N.C., encouraged by her Cannon teachers and peers.
Kathryn was a lifelong reader who always had her “nose in a book,” even as a kid. She excelled academically through high school and continued her love of learning at Middlebury College, where she traveled abroad to practice Spanish in Buenos Aires, Argentina, and Mandarin in Kunming, China, during her junior year. On campus, she created lifelong friendships, sailed across New England with the Middlebury sailing team, and served as editor-in-chief of the Middlebury Campus.
As a young adult living in San Francisco, she spent Saturday mornings during tax season as a volunteer tax preparer for the VITA program at the Women’s Building in the Mission. Through a book club, she built lasting friendships that would stay with her long after she left the city.
After settling in Burlington, Kathryn treasured her time with friends and family, particularly hiking with Brian, Evelyn, Jonah and their dog, Maple, in the Green Mountains and along Lake Champlain. She found a deep and rewarding community from the friends she made through GROW’s pregnancy circles. She also met monthly with friends for yet another book club, taking turns hosting dinners at each other’s houses and treasuring time to talk deeply.
Kathryn loved the outdoors. She spent countless weekends exploring hiking trails and campsites across every corner of California, North Carolina and Vermont. She loved to bike and run, often while laughing with dear friends.
Although Kathryn was always honest that her job at PayPal was not her passion, she valued the flexibility to work from home, loved her colleagues and took pride in managing her retail clients to the best of her ability. Her job gave her financial flexibility and the opportunity to take generous maternity leaves for both Evelyn and Jonah. She was enormously grateful for the privileges her job afforded and the wonderful people she met along the way.
Kathryn was successful, intelligent, empathetic, athletic, clever and worldly, but above all, she identified as a mother first. She loved Evelyn and Jonah deeply and fiercely, always giving her whole self to them. Her greatest hope was that they would grow up knowing how deeply they were loved and how much their mother delighted in them.
Friends and family are warmly invited to an open memorial gathering at our home on Friday, June 5, from 2:30 to 6:30 p.m. — come as you are, stay as long as you like. A celebration of life will follow in the coming months. In lieu of flowers, Kathryn asked that donations be made to the Janet S. Munt Family Room in Burlington, an organization that has helped our children and cares for the community that we love so much. You can donate here. For directions or questions, please reach out to the family at RememberingKady@gmail.com.