Catherine "Kitty" Laverne Hays

Catherine "Kitty" Laverne Hays, 87, was born on April 26, 1939, and passed away on May 18, 2026. In her working life, Catherine dedicated herself to caring for living things, including time spent working at the Louisville Zoo, and retired after 13 years of service from Norton Audubon Hospital. Her steady devotion to plants, horticulture, and animals of all kinds reflected a life shaped by attentiveness and genuine care—given freely, and often with a determined persistence that never wavered.

Catherine’s home and heart were always open to the creatures around her. She delighted in the small, familiar rituals of daily life, calling every raccoon “Rockie” and every possum “Oppie,” a simple humor that brought warmth to those within earshot. She especially loved cats, and neighborhood deer learned they could count on her kindness, returning for the food she faithfully offered. Music was another constant companion. Catherine’s enjoyment of songs, especially those of Patsy Cline, The Temptations, The Supremes, and Elvis. Catherine’s life was marked by love that showed itself in practical, everyday ways; by a sense of humor that lingered long after the moment passed; and by a steadfast spirit—at times stubborn, always sincere—that helped shape a home and family filled with care. Her memory will be held close, with gratitude and respect. She won the most recent Derby 2026. She picked “Golden Tempo and Renegade”. These horses she picked both won, and their names described her and her nature perfectly.

Catherine was preceded in death by her parents, Mary Jane Underwood and Charles Dee Vittitow; brothers, Ira Thomas Vittitow, Chester Dewitt Vittitow, Manuel Elroy Vittitow, baby Carlos; grandparents, Willis Underwood and Delia Underwood; and grandsons, Jim Hays, and Sean Lohden.

Left to cherish her memory are her children, Ricky “Doug” Hays, Sherry Lohden; grandchildren, Daniel Sexton (Ashli), Stacy Hays, Mary Jane Lohden, Suanita “Niki” Lohden, Joshua Lohden, and John Lohden; and great-grandchildren, Jada Hays, Sean Lohden, Faith Lohden, Naveah Lohden, Kyle Lohden, Serenity Lohden, Isabella Lohden, John Lohden Jr., Juliette Lohden, Joshua Lohden Jr., Juliana Lohden, Ezekiel Lohden, Robin Elam Lohden.

A visitation will be held at Evergreen Funeral home on May 27th, 2026, from 2 p.m. to 8 p.m. A service to honor the life of Kitty will be held on Friday, May 28th, 2026, at 12 noon. She will be laid to rest at Evergreen Cemetery.