Dr. Kathleen E. Ott, 71, of South Whitehall Township, died peacefully April 21, 2022, surrounded by her beloved family. She was the former wife of Robert S. Ott, of Dingmans Ferry. She was the daughter of the late William M. and Mary Jane (Bortz) Mackes.

She graduated from William Allen High School where she was an accomplished majorette who spun flaming batons. She earned a Bachelor of Science degree in secondary education from Kutztown University in 1986 and began her professional career as a high school biology teacher at Lehigh Career & Technical Institute. In 1990 she earned a Master of Education/Secondary Education degree in biology from Lehigh University. In 2001, she received a Doctor of Educational Leadership and Administration from Widener University.

She served as assistant principal at Pottsgrove Senior High School and then became an assistant principal at Emmaus High School from 1993 to 1999. In 1999, she was named as Northampton Area High School principal, a position she held until 2007. From 2007 to 2020, she was Northampton Area School District’s director of data, grants and special programs, where she secured millions of dollars in competitive grants for the district, including Keystones to Opportunity, the Keystone Head Start and Pre-K Counts programs and Washington’s Crossing. During her tenure at Northampton Area, she established the district’s alumni directory and was a founder of Northampton Konkrete Kids Education Foundation. She formally retired Dec. 31, 2020.

She was a member of the New Covenant Christian Community Church, Macungie. She was a member of the Rotary Club of Allentown West. She sat on the board of directors of Hawk Mountain Sanctuary Association in the late 1980s and most recently on the board of directors of the Parkland Education Foundation.

She was an avid baker. She was the self-published author of the whimsical “Casinos, Capers, and Cakes: Hitting the Jackpot of Love and Adventures in Atlantic City.”

She is survived by siblings, Thomas J. Mackes and his wife, Carolynne, Corinne Emmett and Jody Gehringer; sons, Robert S. II and his wife, Lisa, Michael B. and his wife, Cindy, Stephen J. and his wife, Suzanne; a daughter, Jacqueline S. and her husband, John Mohr; grandchildren; Mikayla, Darci, Lindsay, Sydney, Addison, Robert, Elizabeth and Jacob; two nieces; four nephews, along with their families.

Contributions may be made in her name to either the Rotary Club of Allentown West or Family Promise of Lehigh Valley, c/o the funeral home.

Memorial services will be held 10 a.m. April 28 at New Covenant Christian Community Church, 126 S. Church St., Macungie. Calling will be held 6 to 8 p.m. April 27 at Trexler Funeral Home, 1625 W. Highland St., Allentown and 9 to 10 a.m. April 28 in the church.