Kathleen N. (Neale) Hitchcock

With love and sadness, the family of Kathleen (Kai) Neale Hitchcock announce her passing on November 11,2025 at the age of 99 years. Kathleen was born on May 5,1926 to John Carlton Neale and Nora Nixon Neale in Toronto, Ontario Canada.

She was a former long-term resident of Barrington and later Bristol as well as Riverside RI. She was the loving wife of the late Richard C Hitchcock.  They raised 4 children together, the late Holly Hitchcock-Furtado, Tracy Hitchcock-Carcamo, Mark C. Hitchcock and Rob T. Hitchcock.  She would say she was the luckiest mom to have such wonderful children who chose wonderful partners, Ted Furtado, Luis Carcamo, Wendy Pike and Shelly Watson-Hitchcock.   She was a proud and loving grandmother to Crystal, Aron, Kelly, Luke, Eric, Hannah, Kelsey, Kyle, Shelbie, Drew, and Nora.  She felt especially blessed to have 2 sweet great granddaughters Lyla and Isabella. She was Auntie Kai to numerous nieces, nephews, grandnieces and nephews, and great grandnieces and nephews stretching from the east to west sides of Canada and the US and as far as northern Halifax and down through the East coast to southern parts of Florida. Family was most important to Kai she loved them dearly.  Family included her dear adult friends and the lifelong friends of her children and grandchildren; love is what made us family not blood.

Kai studied at University of Connecticut and Ontario College of Art. Kai loved animals and over her adult life her art work focused on commissioned portraits of pets and babies in pastels and charcoal. She had an artist eye and found pictures inside nature wherever she looked and you could find her drawing right up to her 99th year.  Kai also spent her time baking and was known to her family and friends as the mom who made Canadian tarts, bread, Holly Dollies and chocolate roll.  She spent time as a brownie leader in the Barrington, the taxi to swim, ballet and hockey.  She was also a volunteer at Hasbro Children’s Hospital.

 Kai’s career life took her from the excitement of New York city after UCONN back to Toronto into banking and secretary work for the Purina Rolston CO.  Once she returned to the US as Mrs. Hitchcock, she worked alongside her husband building Hitchcock Marine Services for years until the couple purchased the Fore ’N’ Aft Restaurant. Not one to rest on her laurels, Kai finished her career days as the secretary to the Dean of Roger Williams Law School.  She loved her work and staff at the university but especially adored the students she interacted with at the law school. They were young and bright, a glimpse of hope for the future.

She would describe herself as a silly person at times but that this is what kept her young with a happy disposition which helped her survive Cancer three times. She rarely got flustered and looked forward to what lay ahead. She loved all things cute, puppies, kittens and especially the kindergarten students at Leviton Dual Language School who called her Grammy K. She will be missed by all who knew her and loved her. A private, family service will be held on April 2,2026 Smith Mason Funeral Home, Riverside RI. In lieu of flowers Kai has requested that donations in her name be made to St. Jude Children’s Research Hospital.