Kittie E. (Holland) Elliott

The Woods Hole Oceanographic Institution announces with great sorrow the death of retiree Kittie E. (Holland) Elliott on May 30 at her home in North Falmouth.  She was 93.

Kittie was born in Worcester, Mass. She was  the daughter of the late Ray and Clara (Scribner) Holland.

Kittie began working at WHOI in 1975 as a secretary in Administration.  In 1976, she transferred to the Port Office where she worked as a staff assistant until she retired in 1988.  Kittie loved working at WHOI and came back on a casual basis in 1989, helping out in a number of areas around the Institution including HR and the Information Office.  In the late 1990s, she was brought on as an assistant in the Information Office until 2009.  Following that, though no longer on the payroll, Kittie continued to help out in the Information Office as a volunteer up until her death. 

“Kittie was our ‘calendar girl’ in the Information Office,” said Joanne Tromp, Information Office coordinator and manager of the WHOI Volunteer Program.  “She came in every week without fail to help disseminate the WHOI weekly calendar around the Institution. Kittie was spunky, and we all enjoyed her tenacity! She will be deeply missed!”

“Kittie worked at WHOI for so long and knew everybody,” said Stephanie Murphy, Public Information manager. “Aside from being an amazing resource, she was funny and full of great stories about WHOI.”

Kittie was a faithful member of the First Congregational Church in Falmouth, where she was active in the Church’s knitting group, which contributes hand-made products for sale at Church functions.

She was the beloved wife of the late Kenneth E. Elliott, who passed away in 2012. Kittie is survived by her daughter Kim Barrett and her husband, John W. Barrett, of North Falmouth; granddaughters, Kristin Regan and her husband, Scott, of Hanover; and Andrea Barrett of Pocasset. She also leaves her great-grandchildren, Bailey and John Regan. She was preceded in death by her two children, Karen Elliott and Keith Elliott.

Visiting hours will be held from 4:00 to 7:00 p.m., on Thursday, June 2, at the Chapman Cole & Gleason Funeral Home, 475 Main Street, Falmouth. A funeral service will be held at 1:00 p.m. on Friday, June 3, at the First Congregational Church in Falmouth, 68 Main Street, Falmouth. Burial will follow in the VA National Cemetery in Bourne.