Katherine (Kathie) Armstrong, age 94, died peacefully in Poughkeepsie, New York, on June 26, 2026, holding her daughter's hand. Kathie was born in April 1932 in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, the oldest of two daughters to Samuel and Katherine Armstrong. She grew up in Bala Cynwyd, Pennsylvania, and attended The Baldwin School for Girls in nearby Bryn Mawr, graduating in 1950. Her love of nature was defined as a child from her summers at the family cottage on Kezar Lake in Lovell, Maine. There she learned to appreciate the beauty and fragility of the natural world. She attended Mount Holyoke College in Holyoke, Massachusetts, graduating magna cum laude in 1954 with an A.B. in biology. After college she received a Fulbright Student Scholarship from 1954-1955 to study fruit fly genetics at Utrecht University in the Netherlands. While there she took the opportunity to travel widely through Europe, eventually returning home with 25 cents in her pocket.

She married Robert (Bob) M. Briber in 1956 and they settled in Lexington, Massachusetts, where their first child Robert (Rob) M. Briber, Jr. was born in 1957. Their daughter, Katherine (Katy) M. Briber was born in 1961. Kathie attended a teacher training program for women at Harvard University and received her Master of Arts in Teaching in 1965. Kathie taught biology at the Brimmer & May School in Chestnut Hill Massachusetts, from 1975-1976. The family moved to Schenectady, New York, in 1967 when Bob was relocated by GE from the Boston area. Kathie and Bob separated in 1973 and divorced in 1975. After the divorce, Kathie reverted to her maiden name.

Kathie received an MS degree in biology from Union College in 1972, publishing as coauthor the paper "Comparative Studies on Tobacco Pith and Sweet Potato Root Isoperoxidases in Relation to Injury, Indoleacetic Acid, and Ethylene Effects" in 1973 in the journal Plant Physiology. She taught biology at Albany Academy for Girls from 1972-1976, where she was beloved by both students and colleagues. She then accepted the position of Associate Dean for Graduate & Continuing Studies at Union College from 1976 until her retirement in 1985.

Kathie met Chester (Chet) Harvey through a mutual friend in 1977. Their first date was canoeing in the White Water Derby on the Hudson River. Together they built a passive solar house in Rexford, New York, and in 1981 they were married in the house surrounded by family. Kathie and Chet were avid canoeists, skiers, and hikers. They were known in the upstate New York region for joining and occasionally leading backcountry canoe expeditions throughout North America. Over the years they canoed an impressive range of rivers including the Thelon, the South Nahanni, the Burnside, the Coppermine, the Soper, and the Churchill rivers in northern Canada. When not in the northern reaches of Canada or above the arctic circle, their paddling adventures included the Rio Grande, the Saint John, the Eel, the John Day, the Main Salmon, the Rio Fuerte in Mexico, the Poroeno in Finland, and the Kautokeino and Reisa, both in Norway. Slide shows of their trips were renowned among local outdoor organizations.

Their expertise with the rivers in New York and New England led to their editing the guidebook: "The Adirondack Mountain Club Canoe and Kayak Guide: East-Central New York State: Includes Selected Waterways of Western New England". Kathie was also an avid skier, joining Chet as a member of the ski patrol for Hickory Ski Center in upstate New York. Their ski adventures included helicopter skiing in the Canadian Rockies. Kathie and Chet continued their adventures until Chet's passing in 2017. Kathie was predeceased by her sister Carol Armstrong, and is survived by her children Rob (his wife Veronica Irrera), their son Colin Briber, Katy (her husband Marty Gillow), and their daughter Coral Briber.

A memorial service will be held on Saturday, August 29, 2026, at 2:00 pm at St. James' Episcopal Church in Hyde Park, New York, with a repast to follow at the parish house. A private celebration of life will be held next summer in Lovell, Maine, with details to be announced.

For memorial contributions and in light of Kathie's love of the outdoors, please consider a gift to the Adirondack Mountain Club (https://adk.org), or the Kezar Lake Watershed Association (https://kezarwatershed.org/) in Kathie's name.

Arrangements are by Sweet's Funeral Home, Hyde Park, NY. To leave an online condolence, or for directions, please visit Kathie's obituary page at www.sweetsfuneralhome.com.