Katherine Agnes (Groo) Dugoni died peacefully at her home in Palo Alto, CA, surrounded by family, on December 3, 2015 at the age of 89. Kaye, as she was known to her friends, was born in Montpelier, ID, on August 12, 1926. As a child her family moved to Spokane, WA, where she met the love of her life, Arthur A. Dugoni, in 1943. Art was a freshman at Gonzaga University and Kaye was at nearby Holy Names Academy. The couple were married at St. Aloysius Church at Gonzaga in 1949.
Kaye and Art raised their family in San Mateo, CA, while Art was building up his dental practice after graduating from the College of Physicians and Surgeons in his hometown of San Francisco. The family later moved to Seattle, WA, when Art studied to become an orthodontist at the University of Washington, and then finally settled in Atherton, CA, before moving to a retirement community in Palo Alto.
Kaye lived for her family, her Catholic faith, and her community. She was a life master in duplicate bridge and volunteered many hours of service to Las Lomitas Elementary School, La Entrada Middle School and St. Denis Church, among others. Kaye was the matriarch of four generations and she found the greatest joy in spending time with her 7 children, 15 grandchildren and 6 great grandchildren.
Kaye was preceded in death by her parents Russell Groo and Catherine (Brennan) Groo, and by three of her siblings Jack Groo, Patricia Kruger and Mary Kestell. She leaves behind her sister Joann Groo of Spokane, her husband of 66 years Arthur A. Dugoni of Palo Alto, and 7 children to cherish her memory: Steven (Lisa) of Hillsborough; Michael (Marianne) of Fremont; Russell (Maureen) of Fairfield; Mary Rouleau (Bertrand) of Los Altos; Diane Descalso of Redwood City; Arthur (Kristen) of Elk Grove and James (Lisa) of Stockton. She is also survived by 15 grandchildren: Patrick and Emily (Steven); Brian and Christine (Michael); Paul and Eric (Russell); Sean, Aaron, Nicolas and Elizabeth (Mary); Joseph and Mary (Diane); Benjamin (Arthur); and Tyler and Jackson (James); as well as 6 great grandchildren: Brendan, Kenzie and Connor (Sean); Claire and Evan (Christine) and Charlotte (Aaron).
A celebration of life service will be held on Saturday, December 19, at 10:00 a.m. at St. Pius Church, 1100 Woodside Rd., Redwood City, CA 94061. All family and friends are welcome to attend the service and reception immediately following.
In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Sisters of the Holy Names of Jesus & Mary, 2911 W. Fort George Wright Dr., Spokane, WA 99224, or to the Arthur and Katherine Dugoni Endowed Student Scholarship at the Arthur A. Dugoni School of Dentistry, University of the Pacific, 155 Fifth Street, San Francisco, CA 94103.