Amalie Kass
Amalie Moses Hecht Kass of Belmont, formerly of Lincoln, died May 19. She was born in Baltimore on January 9, 1928 to Leslie and Helene Moses. She grew up in Baltimore with her brother Alfred Moses and sister Claire Moses Lovett and attended Wellesley College.
In 1949, she married Malcolm (Mac) Hecht Jr., with whom she had five children: Anne, Robert, Thomas, Jonathan, and Peter. Following Mac’s death, she married Dr. Edward Kass in 1975 and became stepmother to his children Robert, James, and Nancy Kass.
Amalie obtained her M.Ed. from Boston University and taught high school history in the Newton public schools. She later devoted herself to medical history, authoring two books (one with her husband) and many scholarly articles, with a particular focus on obstetrics, women’s health, and the intersection between medicine and social justice.
Amalie was a passionate supporter of and generous benefactor to her alma mater Wellesley College (where she was a trustee), the Massachusetts Historical Society (where she was the first woman to serve as board chair), the Greenway Conservancy, Planned Parenthood, and many other organizations. She was also an avid outdoorswoman, skiing, hiking, and gardening into her 80s.
Her greatest joy was her large family, which in addition to her eight children includes their spouses Loreta Matheo Kass, Robert Harrold, Jocelyne Albert, Susan Korrick, Lora Sabin, Sean Tunis, Kristina Jones, and Shan Soe-lin; her grandchildren Katie, Julia, Mark, Benjamin, Rebecca, Amelie, Evan, Nico, Alison, Hannah, Cody, Rachel, Mac, Gabe, Molly, Zoe, Alexis, Noah, Sophia, and Charlotte; and her great-granddaughter Emma.
Friends are invited to join the family for visiting hours at Amalie’s home at 20 Howells Rd. in Belmont from 5–9 p.m. on May 22 and 23. A shiva minyan will take place both evenings at 7 p.m. A memorial service will be held at a later date at Wellesley College. Share a memory of her on this Levine Chapels obituary page.
Contributions in Amalie’s memory may be made to the Planned Parenthood League of Massachusetts or the Pine Street Inn.