Kathleen (Burke) Paulding

Kathleen "Kate" Burke Paulding, 86, a lifelong resident of Rockland, passed away peacefully on March 10, 2026. She was reunited in heaven with her beloved husband, the late Robert E. Paulding, and many family members and dear friends who preceded her.

Daughter of the late Everett and Cecelia Burke, Kate grew up in Rockland, where she was known as a high-stepping majorette who led the way. She began her working life at Burke's Pharmacy, mastering the soda fountain and developing a renowned skill for gift-wrapping chocolates and perfumes that she later taught her children. A graduate of the Accounting Program at Katherine Gibbs Business School in Boston, she possessed a natural talent for mathematics and used it to serve her community. She founded the Rockland Town Girls Basketball league, led Camp Fire Girls, taught CCD, and played key roles in "Operation Goblin" and the Rockland Centennial Celebration. Long before the digital age, she turned her family room into a grassroots campaign headquarters, serving as a seasonal campaign manager and mentoring aspiring politicians.

While raising her family and giving generously to her town, Kate pursued her passion for education. She earned her bachelor's degree from Bridgewater State University in 1984 and rose from paraprofessional to teacher, beginning her career in the basement of the former Junior High School. She held a special place in her heart for at-risk students and served as a fierce advocate for her colleagues as President of both the Rockland and Plymouth County Teachers Associations. With her dear friend Sandra McConn Stephenson, she helped secure important improvements in teacher retirement and professional development. She retired from the same Memorial Park School classroom where her mother had taught years earlier.

Kate's greatest joy was her family and her cherished "beach family" at Saquish Beach, where she raced to open the cottage each spring. She baked and decorated wedding cakes for her nieces, filled her home with loaves of pumpkin and banana bread for her husband Bob, and was famous for her Harvest Cake and deviled eggs. A gifted artist, she painted and gave away thousands of ceramic Christmas ornaments, each carefully inscribed with the names of students, nieces, nephews, and extended family.

She is survived by her children, Robin P. McGowan and husband Charles of St. Petersburg, Florida; William (Bill) Paulding and partner Edward MacDonald of Boylston; Edward E. Paulding of Whitman; Peter Venuti of Whitman; and Kathleen A. Paulding and her son Thomas Reyno of Abington. She also leaves 32 nieces and nephews whom she adored and constantly bragged about, as well as her brother-in-law, Francis McDougall. She was the sister of the late Rosemary McDougall and the late William Burke.