KATE LEARSON - Sunday NY Times Our beloved friend, Kate Learson, died on Tuesday. Her heartbreaking absence from our lives will leave us forever diminished. But through our tears we know that we have been forever graced by her love, her unfailing kindness, and her contagious passion for art, poetry and opera. Kate found delight in life and never stopped fighting for more, even when up against impossible odds. She loved her family above all; her sons, Doug and Lucien Foster, her daughter-in-law, Rebecca Foster, and her precious grandson, Rowan, who was her joy. During her final years, Kate also felt blessed by the steadfast love of Nita. We will deeply miss everything about Kate; especially her irreverent humor and spontaneous wit which never left her and was integral to her joie de vivre. While Kate reveled in her exotic travels to places like Antarctica and Angor Wat, she was just as happy in front of her fireplace with family or friends, or watching Max, her black standard poodle, fly down the beach in Chatham, Massachusetts. Kate loved the Cape and her boundless love, like the ocean she cherished, was, and will continue to be, an endless source of strength for us all.