If you wish to write a note to posted here please email it to: kerstin@fawnet.org |
 Kati with Maarit at a recent FAWN event |
To keep Kati’s memory alive, FAWN (Finnish and American Women’s Network) has created the “Kati Moran Memorial Fund.” If you wish to make a contribution, please send a check to the order of FAWN (PO Box 3623, NY, NY 10163-3623) and mark the check “Kati Moran Memorial Fund.” The fund will be used to benefit causes and activities that were close to Kati's heart. |
A remembrance of Kati Moran Tarja Moran, known as Kati to her many friends and loved ones, died suddenly Friday morning December 7, 2007. Kati was born in Helsinki, Finland in 1953. She was living in Uppsala, Sweden in 1981 where she met her husband-to-be, Thomas Moran, a post-doctoral student at the Biomedical Center in Uppsala. They returned to the United States, settled in New York City, married and started a family. Their daughter, Maarit Marita Moran, was born in July of 1985 in Bronx, New York. Maarit was the light of her life, and Kati excelled at motherhood. Kati loved New York’s cultural life and found her calling in the non-profit world, working first for the New York Botanical Garden, moving to the National Academy of Design, and then to The Brooklyn Museum of Art where she was the merchandise and shop manager at the time of her death. The woman who spent her youth in rural Finland took naturally to her adopted city, New York, and became as savvy as any purebred New Yorker and as fervent a Yankee fan as any native. Kati loved to travel; she and Tom visited Ireland where they met Moran relatives. They journeyed to her native Finland, Belgium, Portugal, and most recently Brazil. Kati’s job took her to Peru and South Africa. Montreal became a favorite destination after Maarit enrolled in university at McGill. Kati especially loved the mid-coast of Maine, which reminded her of Finland. The family vacationed in Port Clyde every summer. Where ever she landed, Kati was fascinated with the customs and food, and returned with photos, wonderful memories and a desire to return at some time. Finland was always in her thoughts and her heart. She introduced her family and friends to the beautiful customs of her birth country and they enjoyed sharing in her Finnish traditions. The family celebrated Christmas with an open house that featured a genuine Finnish menu prepared by Kati. She collected pottery and glassware from Finland and Sweden, old cookbooks, and textiles. Tom and Kati’s home was a charming and comfortable amalgam of Kati’s treasures. She had exquisite taste, and an intuitive way of combining objects and materials. Kati also had a love of flowers and gardening that reflected her closeness with nature and a desire to protect the environment. She raised assorted herbs, kept them alive year round, and drew upon her herb garden for cooking. She was especially proud of some very special geranium plants that had been passed down from the Swedish Royal Court and bloomed year round under her care. This past fall, Kati planted hundreds of tulips and other bulbs in the yard of their new home anticipating spring. Kati was the membership director and an active member of The Finnish and American Women’s Network (FAWN). Again, she actively embraced and encouraged the cultural vibrancy of New York. She greatly enjoyed the company of her Finnish compatriots. Kati warmed and enriched the lives of all the people who knew and loved her. She will be sorely missed and never forgotten by those whose lives she touched. She leaves her husband, Dr. Thomas Michael Moran, professor of microbiology at Mount Sinai Medical Center; her beloved daughter, Maarit Moran, a recent graduate of McGill University in Montreal, her mother-in-law, Mrs. Ruth Moran, and sister-in-law, Barbara Moran of Connecticut, and many dear friends to mourn her loss.
Emails: *Dear Tom and Maarit, *I am very sorry to hear of your loss. My thoughts go out to Kati's friends and family. *I am so shocked!! How did that happen? I didn't have a chance to get to know her that well, I just met her at FAWN event in September. I spoke with her and her daughter that night. She was a lovely woman! * I miss Kati already! I recall clearly 2 years ago bumping into her at the Bryant Park craft market ‘checking out the competition’ just as I was! We often walked the tradeshows at Javits together and referred vendors to each other. Kati and I swaped emails about new products and what is happening in the museum world of gift shop buying! I hired her daughter a couple of years ago in The Shop and have rehired her this season as an assistant in The Shop @ Scandinavia House. Through Maarit, Kati’s energy and creativity lives on! Kati’s support of my new position here at Scandinavia House prompted me to join her favorite group FAWN. The meetings and social hours afterwards were always great with Kati! I always looked forward to seeing her at the FAWN meetings. I cried the whole night after I heard she had passed. 212 847 9726 p *I've been in a shock since I got the sad news. This is hard to believe. *13.12.2007 -Surullinen uutinen saapui meille tanne Helsinkiin perjantai-iltana 7.12.2007 ja The sad news reached us here in Helsinki Friday night, December 7, 2007 * *12/18/07 *January 24, 2008 At a certain period as we journey through life, we may touch another perhaps only for a small moment in time. Sometimes, the memory of the moment lasts much longer than the actual time spent together. Jim Byrd, owner |
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