Katherine "Kitty" Weston

Our beloved Kitty Weston (95) passed away peacefully on July 6, 2020 at BeeHive Homes in Albuquerque, NM, under the care from Hospice at Corus Health.

Kitty was born on June 8, 1925 in Bourbon, Mississippi to Clarence and Katherine (Boschert) Weston. She attended and graduated from Arcola High School in 1943.  Kitty then attended the Mississippi University for Women (formally MSCW) and graduated in 1947 with a degree in mathematics.

After College, Kitty was recruited by NACA/NASA as a “Human Computer”, a position located at the Langley Research Center in Hampton, Virginia.  Kitty was a gifted mathematician and ironically, she held the same position as the lead character in the well-known film “Hidden Figures”, (the film’s timeline was 5 years after Kitty’s resignation).  Kitty was included in a 1995 manuscript about women working at Langley Research Center entitled “Human Computers: The Woman in Aeronautical Research” written by Dr. Beverly E. Golemba, St. Leo College, Langley AFB, VA

Kitty made lifelong friends with her colleagues at the Langley Research Center during her tenure.  For many years, Kitty re-visited Hampton, Virginia to attend reunions or special occasions in the lives of her special friends.

In 1955, left her NASA position as she had been recruited for the Atomic Weapons Program by the Sandia Corporation in Albuquerque NM.   Kitty became a real a trailblazer and mentor for women who chose a career in science and technology.  One of her many accomplishments during her tenure at Sandia was her creation of the pre-cursor of today’s Global Positioning System (GPS).  This system allowed her group to track the transportation  of nuclear material across the United States.  Kitty was also instrumental in her field by authoring or co-authoring research reports for US Government Research; Association for Computing Machinery; ACM Transactions on Mathematical Software; and articles appearing in the Nuclear Science Abstracts.  Her most recent contribution to the literary world was when she was interviewed and quoted in the 2017 New York Times bestselling book “Code Girls”, a historical documentary of American Women Code Breakers of World War II.  Kitty discussed her life and of her older sister, Ruth Weston Cable, who was a “secret” Code Girl during WWII.  The book was authored by award winning journalist Liza Mundy.

Until about a year ago, Kitty religiously attended monthly luncheons coordinated by her fellow retired Sandia colleagues.  Those luncheons were the highlight of her month and those friendships lasted her lifetime.

During Kitty’s 65 years in her beloved Albuquerque, she donated her time and support to many non-profit service organizations whose mission is to help those less fortunate.  Some highlights include her actively participating in the Pilot Club of Albuquerque, including serving as President during 1971-72.  She also served many years as a BioPak Docent at the Albuquerque Zoo.  Kitty served as Vice President and Program Chair of Questers, a program sponsored by the First Presbyterian Church of Albuquerque, she devoted time to the Albuquerque Meals on Wheels and was a huge cheerleader and supporter of the Annual Albuquerque Hot Air Balloon Festival from its inception.

Kitty was a most respected and beloved role model to her friends and family.  She was an avid bridge player and belonged to many bridge clubs throughout the years.  She made so many friends and they were always an important part of her life.  Kitty served as one of the matriarchs of the Weston Family.  The family loved and adored her.  She participated in the Weston Family Reunions held throughout the country from the 70’s until a few years ago, and she hosted one of the reunions in Albuquerque.   These reunions meant the world to her.

In addition to her parents, Kitty was preceded in death by her siblings, Jack (Trilba) Weston, Louise Boschert Weston, Fred (Katherine) Weston, Ruth Weston Cable, Clyde (Hazel) Weston, Curtis Moore Weston. She is survived by her brother-in-law, Bill Cable of Vienna, VA; sister-in-law, Wanda Weston, of Cordova, TN and eight nieces and nephews across the US, and many great grandnieces and grandnephews.