Remembering beloved community member Katie Lumpkin

The George School community mourns the loss of Catherine Ann “Katie” Lumpkin, a long-serving and much loved member of the dining staff, who died on December 22, 2023. She was 88 years old.

Katie joined the George School community in 1981 and touched the lives of students, families, faculty and staff with her big smile, warmth, kindness, and sense of humor for almost 42 years. She was known for arriving early to get ahead of work in order to have time throughout her day to offer warm greetings to everyone who walked through the door, saying hello and chatting with students in an effort to “make everyone happy,” she said.

She and her husband, Frank (who predeceased her in 2014), raised eight children. She was grandmother to 24 children and great grandmother to 15. She treated George School students as her children, too.

“The kids are so much fun,” Katie said in a 2003 interview for the Georgian. “With my children at home I had the fun part and I also had the discipline part. Here [at George School] I just get the fun part. These kids make me laugh—they’re so full of vim and vigor. I love the laughter and the joy they bring. They keep me on my toes. They keep me young.”

Head of the Religions Department Tom Hoopes reflected on how Katie embodied George School for generations of students, faculty, staff, and their children.

“Katie welcomed people and served food and love in equal portions,” he said. “Many parents recall fondly how she gave undivided attention to their children. Many alumni made a point of seeking her out upon their return to campus.”

“What was awesome about Katie was that everyone thought they were close to her because that’s how she made them feel,” said Kim Colando ’83.

Katie had a profound ability to recognize the good in everyone, bolstering both parents and students with words of encouragement.

“She held a significant role in my life, one similar to that of a grandmother, and the warmth of her hugs provided nothing short of a sense of home and comfort,” shared Xavier Valdepeñas-Mellor ’24.

“I remember Katie saying to me dozens of times, ‘You are doing a great job with those kids – you need to write a book!” remembered faculty member Chéri Mellor.

On occasions when she would hear adults in the community complaining about something kids had done, she shared, “People forget they were like that at one time, too. The kids are just doing their jobs – they’re being kids.”

“It is hard to put into words the impact Katie had on all of us on a daily basis,” said faculty member Edna Valdepeñas. “We watched our kids grow through their interactions with her and the joy was mutual.”

The Class of 2012 dedicated their yearbook to Katie. “One does not need to know Katie on a personal level to know that she is an unsung hero of George School,” said editors Mandy Walters and Sandy Polgar.

In 2009, former Art teacher and department head Pam Grumbach painted a portrait of Katie as part of an exhibit titled, “A Show of Friends,” a series of portraits of members of the George School community who shared years of tenure with Pam. While working on the project, Pam shared, “I was often drawn into musings about the individual. I thought about the gifts of each person that I painted, and of the impact they have had on me and the community.”

Today, Katie’s portrait hangs prominently in the dining room, and her warm, welcoming smile continues to overlook the George School community.

View Katie’s obituary.