Published on April 26, 2026 6:28 pm
Last Updated on April 26, 2026 6:28 pm
Katharine Budd Cowperthwait Dickens, 94, of Effingham, passed away on Saturday, April 25th, 2026, surrounded by loved ones.
Visitation will be held from 4:00 p.m. to 7:00 p.m. at Johnson Funeral Home in Effingham on Thursday, April 30th, 2026 with services held the following day at Centenary United Methodist Church in Effingham at 10:00 a.m. on Friday, May 1, 2026 where Katharine attended for many years. Burial will be in Oak Ridge Cemetery in Effingham. Kate loved her community and volunteered for many organizations. In lieu of flowers and gifts, please make memorial donations to the organization with which you knew Kate the most. Online condolences may be shared at www.johnsonandsonsfh.com.
Katharine was born August 4th of 1931 in Philadelphia, PA to parents Charles Tyler Cowperthwait and Katharine Budd Cowperthwait. April 16th of 1955, Katharine married her beloved husband, Thomas Maddock Dickens, and they shared 40 loving years. Thomas preceded her in death on April 25, 1995. Katharine remained devoted to him, celebrating what would have been their 71st wedding anniversary nine days prior to her passing, coincidentally reuniting with him 31 years to the day after his death.
Katharine- lovingly known as Kate, Mom, Grannie, and Nonnie- devoted her life to the service of others. She was a proud member of the Hospital Auxiliary, DAR, Ladies of the Lake, Good Neighbors, Extension, FISH, Church Women United, and other service organizations. She spent many years as the Cookie Chairwoman for her local Girl Scouts of America council, filling her garage and home with boxes of girl scout cookies for her daughters’ troops. She worked extensively with the American Red Cross, organizing blood drives around Effingham County and holding the position of Armed Services Coordinator. She donated more than 50 gallons of blood, herself, earning an award in 2017 for a record setting 7 donations in one year. She was a talented knitter
and seamstress. Kate started knitting newborn hats for HSHS St. Anthony in 1981, worked with the Centenary United Methodist quilters, sewed Christmas stockings for FISH, entered quilts and afghans in the county fair and was always happy to mend or hem clothes for any who asked. She delivered over 140,000 Meals on Wheels throughout Effingham with both HSHS St. Anthony’s and the Ron Diehl Center. She also ushered with the Effingham Performance Center and volunteered to assist with the summer theater camps run by the EPC. Kate was a mentor with the Unit 40 mentor program and volunteered with the Effingham Hearts Red Regiment. An avid bridge player, Kate regularly played Wednesday nights and hosted a yearly tournament at the Ron Diehl Center, also traveling to ACBL tournaments to compete, herself. Kate always had a willing spirit whenever an opportunity arose to provide help in her community; the above is just a drop in the bucket of good she ushered into the world. She was the eldest sister to two brothers, mother to four children, Grannie/Nonnie to ten grandchildren, and just welcomed her 7th great-grandchild April 13th.
Kate is survived by her brother James Brown Cowperthwait; her four children- Katharine (Kathie), Edward (Ted), Elisabeth (Lisa), and Anne; her grandchildren Tom, Rob, Kay, Margaret, Elizabeth, Bryan, Madeline, Sam, Lillian, and Libby; and her great-grandchildren Korie, Aaron, Lucas, Kyla, Benji, Samuel, and Sawyer.
Kate is preceded in death by her parents, husband, and brother Charles Tyler Cowperthwait III.