Kathi Dutton (August 1, 1961 - present) is an American author who gained popularity for her books describing life as a single mom. Dutton has published 9 books, most became best-sellers. Dutton is also known from her creative and colorful quilts. Early Life Kathi Dutton was born in San Antonio, Texas where her father was stationed while in the military. At six months of age, the young family left Texas to return to New York State. They eventually settled in the small village of Adams located in Upstate New York near the shores of Lake Ontario. Her father, Eric Joel, was a civil servant working for the State of New York in the Department of Agriculture. Her mother, Karen Murphy, was a local bookkeeper and store manager for an automobile parts store. Kathi grew up the oldest of three children and only daughter. Her siblings, Richard and Christopher, are 16 months and 4 years younger than her.

Formative Years

In 1973, Kathi entered South Jefferson Junior High School, and quickly learned she had a knack for writing humorously. A horrible speller she realized that if she could make her English teachers laugh they missed her mistakes. Her dream was to become the next Stephan King, Erma Bombeck or Dave Barry. Unfortunately her father didn’t see a paycheck and pushed her into majoring in Journalism in college. Kathi’s Journalism dreams lasted one day! After attending her first journalism class, she promptly changed her major to Accounting. Although, she quickly learned that accounting principles came naturally to her, she never really saw herself as a Certified Public Accountant. She earned her Associates Degree in three semesters from the State of New York University (SUNY) system’s Morrisville Agricultural and Technology College, started working as a junior accountant in a Watertown, New York Accounting Firm, and married in 1983.

Life as a Single Mom

When Kathi’s marriage ended she was left penniless and homeless with three children. Wanting a new start, she moved her young family to Oswego, New York where she had landed a job as a computer operator for the local SUNY College. It was during this time that she again started to spin humorous stories of life as a single mom. Upon the suggestions of a friend that the world needed a new Erma Bombeck, she began writing down these stories that finally lead to her first book – “Hey, what’s my mother doing in my bathroom mirror?!?”. Miraculously, the first publisher to receive her manuscript agreed to publish it. It is unclear how the book ended on Oprah Winfrey’s desk, however, after reading it Oprah placed it on her reading list. From there the book became a best seller.

Quilting

Kathi’s used quilting as a way to express life through color. She had always admired artists and dream of being able to paint her feelings. She signed up for a quilting class to fill the void she felt when her children where with their father. That first class hooked and she became a life long quilter. She aspired to quilt like Jinny Beyer – creating complex designs using vibrant colors finding that emotional release she had longed for. Over the years she had donated hundreds of quilts to a local women’s shelter so children would have something soft and warm to bring them comfort.

Thoughts on Living to 100

“I am blessed with good genes.”
“Thankful that I can afford the good diapers and my meals aren’t served with a straw”