Catherine "Kitty" Childress

Catherine Louise “Kitty” Gunter Childress of Daniels, WV, with a soft smile and peaceful calm, placed her hand in our loving Lord and Savior’s as he said, “Come on, Kit.” Our very special and loving wife, mother, grandmother, sister, aunt, cousin, mentor and lifelong friend gained her eternal travel plans on Monday, February 10th, 2025.

“Kit” was born in Pineville, WV on June 23, 1940, and was the 8th child to the late Hobart and Ina Gunter. In addition to her parents, she is preceded in death by her loving husband and life partner, Joe and her special son whom she loved dearly, Jay Robert; by her siblings, Harry Gunter, Sid Gunter, Jim Gunter, Lucille Cook Stewart, Mary Morgan, and Shirley True, and a precious grandson, Adam Joseph Childress.

Those left to cherish her memory are her devoted son, Joey Childress and his wife, Karen of Daniels, WV. Joey was her “Hoke” driver, as “Driving Miss Kitty” was the best of times, and Karen became her “fun loving instigator and food cop”. Also, her special grandsons, whom she adored and was so proud of, Jarrett Robert Childress, Chase Ryan Childress, Cooper Jackson Childress and Camden Ashworth Johnson; a brother, Tom Gunter of Oceana, WV, many nieces, nephews, and cousins, including niece, Cathy Sepko (Ken) of Greer, SC, who was like a little sister to her, niece Lora Daniel (Dick) who were her “adopted daughter and son-in-law”, of Flat Top Lake, WV, special niece, Erin True (Bill) of Sacramento, CA, special nephews, Mark Gunter of Oceana, WV and Alex Childress of Richardson, TX as well as The Childress Family, namely Elizabeth Childress, of Dallas, TX. Kitty also leaves countless wonderful friends, from all stages of her life to cherish her memory, including her “Glade Ladies” as well as Becky Lilly and Sharon Daniel, who were always there to help her.

Having four older brothers paved the way for her to “give and take” with the best, and the same held true for her sister, Shirley, who was her “twin for life” in adventure, fun and love for their family. The Gunters are a special group of people, where love and joy are always shared. Kitty grew up with tenacity, a mischievous spirit and a true love for “her peeps” while being the ringleader of keeping everyone close, and always providing a hug, laughter and love.

Kitty was involved in many church and school activities. She especially loved singing in the choir and performing in school plays. During her high school years, she became friends with a “James Dean” type of guy, who was known to “race cars and be a little wild”. His name was Joe Childress. She had no interest, but he persisted. Finally, his persistence paid off. When she finally took Joe home to meet her parents, Kitty was worried about their approval. While Ina had immediate reservations, Hobart said, “Well…..at least He Will Work”! Soon after, Joe & Kitty were married and began their lifelong journey of love, adventure, travel and experiences!

Shortly after they were married, Joe was drafted into the U.S. Army and was stationed in Germany. During this time, Kitty attended Beckley College and Morse Harvey College and became an English teacher and taught at several schools in Wyoming County.

In 1962, their first son, John Joseph II “Joey” was born and in 1969, their second son, Jay Robert “Jaybird” arrived. The demands of Joe’s work required travel far away from Southern WV and Kitty always made each journey for the 4 of them the very best she could. The family made life experiences in Canada, Florida, Illinois, Turkey and finally returned back to their beloved West Virginia. During their many travels, they made lifelong friendships and were able to see the world. But, by the mid 1970s, Miss Kitty said, “Ok, Joe, we are done traveling….let’s make this place our home”, and Beckley, WV became that place.

Kitty was a tireless defender of what she believed was right but was never overbearing. As the young sons were growing up, she taught them how to be gentlemen, how to have a passion for learning, how to laugh, how to hold on to family, how to love whole heartedly and how to always keep GOD in their life.

In 1980, Kitty was upset with local politics and one night during a ‘venting session’ with Joe, he finally said, “Kitty, if you don’t agree, then run for office and change it!!” And so, she did and ran for the House of Delegates.

Life in Beckley was special for the Childress family. They all found lifelong friends and became very involved in the community with the boys’ sports and activities. Miss Kitty became a 2nd mother to most of Joey and Jay’s friends. She provided constant love and a dose of common-sense reality, when needed.

In their later years, Joe and Kitty enjoyed residing in the St. Pete, FL area, living on the water, eating fresh seafood, boating, and inviting family and friends to come down and enjoy. With Jay’s family growing, they moved back to WV and made Glade Springs their home. While Joe, Joey and Jay all worked in the family business, Kitty resumed her real estate career, where she excelled and had many clients who became forever friends. They attended multiple churches in Beckley, including Memorial Baptist, but more recently had attended United Methodist Temple, where Kitty sang in the choir. Kitty always had a special place in her heart for Cook Memorial Baptist Church in Pineville, WV, where she was a lifelong member.

The highlight of Miss Kitty’s life was the arrival of her special grandsons. While her time with Adam was too short, the love she gave to him was immense. Her pride and joy as a grandmother was to talk about, “my boys”, Jarrett, Chase and Cooper. “Granny” became their biggest defender, their beacon of knowledge about life. Once Kitty met Cam, they hit it off instantly and enjoyed discussing history, pop culture and politics, which they would talk about until the wee hours of the morning when they had the chance. In her last hours, she spent special time listening to her grandsons tell stories, laugh, and talk sports, including her favorites, the WVU Mountaineers. It was an afternoon that gave us all peace and joy.

Our Miss Kitty, Kit, Granny, and Mom, was a remarkable woman and shining star. She loved and provided for her family in so many ways. She had an impact on every person she met. She lived fully and had no regrets. She was THE BEST Mom and Granny we could ever ask for. Her friends cherished her, and she treasured them.

The family would like to thank Jan-Care Ambulance Service, the doctors and nurses in the ER at Raleigh General Hospital, namely, Adam, our PA-C, for his exceptional care, special thanks to Dr. Calvin Whaley in the CAMC NEURO-ICU for his compassion and support, and to Bowers Hospice House for their care and kindness.

A Visitation will be held on Friday, February 14th from 6-8pm at United Methodist Temple in Beckley, WV. A Celebration of Life Service will be on Saturday, February 15th, at 1pm, also at the church, with Rev. Steve Gedon officiating. Grandsons and family members will serve as pallbearers. The Childress family has entrusted Blue Ridge Funeral Home and Memorial Gardens with the arrangements. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to The Childress Family Scholarship Fund established through the Beckley Area Foundation.