Obituaries

Kathryn Elizabeth Murphy Wiley (July 29,1940 - May 6, 2026) died at Brightview Grosvenor Assisted Living in North Bethesda after a long struggle with health issues. She was preceded in death by her late husband, Roberts W. Wiley, in 1994.

Kathryn was an artist. She began painting and drawing while living in Paris, studying art history at the Ecole du Louvre after a BA in English and French at the University of Maryland, and graduate work at George Washington University, which she left to move to Morocco. Kathryn worked for the government where she met her husband and retired after fifty years of service. Throughout her professional career she continued abstract and landscape painting, eventually adding collage, assemblage, and sculpture in her retirement. Her work has been featured in numerous juried shows including Glenview Mansion, Strathmore Hall, the Yellow Barn, and American University's Katzen Arts Center Rotunda. Kathryn was a long-time member and eventually served as President of the Foundry Gallery in Washington DC.

She is survived by her brother, James Murphy; stepson, Winston Wiley; stepdaughter Bessie Wiley; niece Elizebeth Murphy Schueneman; nephews Todd Murphy, Geoffrey Murphy, and Warren Murphy III; and by many friends from her art world and book club. Her beloved dog Wolf died on the same day as Kathy.

Kathryn will be buried at the Lakewood Cemetery, Lake City, Minnesota.