Kim Dyer McDonald

Kim Dyer McDonald lost her long, resilient struggle with kidney disease and its complications on December 28, 2024. She spent her final days with family and friends, celebrating her 56th birthday with a taste of her favorite Mississippi mud cake.
Growing up in Chatham, Kim had a deep appreciation of nature and the ocean. She had an adventurous spirit that led her to spend a year of high school in Wellington, New Zealand, as an AFS student. Kim attended University of Miami and graduated from UMass Amherst before teaching first graders in Florida, later working for educational nonprofits. She ended her career as an early childhood specialist with the Children’s Forum in Florida. A former director at the Children’s Forum wrote in her memory: “Kim will be remembered and much missed throughout Florida’s many preschool childcare centers as someone who improved the quality of care and education for thousands of children.”
Many would say Kim saw the world with rose-colored glasses. She was a kind soul and a champion of those in need. There was never an injured or stray animal in her path that she would not try to rescue or befriend — beloved dogs, Spunky the squirrel, snakes, turtles, birds (seagulls, sparrows, parakeets, even an anhinga and kiwi). Kim loved amphibians, especially frogs. She grew to appreciate once-feared spiders by teaching her first graders about them.
Kim enjoyed the arts from an early age. Drawing for children and creating clay figures were favorite activities. She also loved music. She took part in drama productions and concerts during high school and was a member of the Chatham Chorale before moving to Florida.
Kim was preceded in death by her father, Daniel Dyer, whose words of wisdom to her included “don’t buy any more stuff.” She is survived by her treasured family: mother, Marie (Chatham); brother, Brad (Tahoe, CA); sister, Erin, and nephew and niece, Wyatt and Esme (Chatham); and 11-year-old dog, JoJo, who is now a Cape Codder. She will be greatly missed by family and friends, who loved hearing stories of her adventures and misadventures. Her sister remembers that they would laugh together until they couldn’t breathe. As many know, you “hit the jackpot” if you knew Kim.
Donations in Kim’s memory may be made to Paws 2 Help non-profit animal hospital in West Palm Beach (paws2help.org or c/o Marie Dyer, PO Box 329, Chatham, MA 02633). Kim’s extensive collection of children’s books was donated to Palm Beach childhood learning centers.
Please consider donating a book to a child, preschool, or library in Kim’s memory. Thank you.
A celebration of her life will be planned this summer––with laughter and Mississippi mud cake.