Kitty Kay Umstot

Kitty Kay (Morris) Umstot was born on September 12, 1943. She arrived seventh out of eight kids, born to Harpie Eugene Morris and Oleta Bell Green Morris, Depression-era farmers who wrung a living out of the land near Chillicothe, Texas. Home was a little shack on the Moffett Farm, the same one that had already welcomed all the Morris children before her. But she was born in an actual hospital in Quanah, Texas. Growing up in a big, close family shaped everything about who she became. She never outgrew it, and she never wanted to.

She threw herself into the 4-H program and into cheerleading, eventually earning head cheerleader position her senior year. Her circle of friends from Chillicothe ran deep, and she was purposeful about keeping those friendships alive, showing up at homecomings like clockwork, year after year. She was a 1962 graduate of Chillicothe High School.

After graduation, she headed to West Texas State University. For a while, the boyfriend situation remained, shall we say, plural. By 1963–1964, she finally had narrowed the field to one. The following year, her family moved to Plainview, Texas, where she attended and worked at Wayland Baptist University. She married the suave and cool Richard Jeffrey Umstot on June 5, 1964. He never stood a chance.

Professional Life:

In the summer of 1965, the couple moved to Lubbock, Texas, and Kitty got to work. She designed and sewed nursery decor at Baby World, worked at Hutchinson Junior High School, and put in time at Lubbock ISD’s Central Office. Ask her about her career, and she'd land on the same answer every time: 26 years running the office for Dr. Tom Neal. She was proud of that. That’s practically a second family. After Dr. Neal, she returned to LISD’s Central Office once more, and then served as a personal assistant to cattle rancher Odell Lowe. Every workplace she touched ran a little smoother because she was in it.

Life Passions:

The National Ranching Heritage Center got her, too. She sewed costumes for her grandchildren and walked visitors through the history of ranching in North America. It was the kind of work that suited her perfectly: hands busy, grandkids close, and a story worth telling.

For more than three decades, she and Richard taught adult Sunday School together at First Baptist Church, Lubbock. They were a team in the truest sense. That season of ministry was eventually interrupted when she suffered a brain bleed. But Kitty’s joy was not the kind that depended on circumstances. It stayed. And Richard stepped into a role that most people talk about in wedding vows, but few ever actually live. He cared for her daily, without fanfare, without complaint. The kind of love they had doesn’t make speeches. It just shows up every morning and does the right thing.

Somewhere along the way at church, she and Richard found a friend in Mike West. He became their adventure partner, a constant presence that the whole family pulled in close. Most people wouldn't know how much he means to all of them. But Mike became an uncle to everyone, the kind of family you choose on purpose.

Family Life:

She was preceded in death by her parents, Harpie and Oleta Morris; her brothers Bobby Frank (who she is meeting for the first time in heaven), Ronald, Dean, and Doyle; and her sisters LaNeta McLain and Etoy Chapman.

She is survived by her husband of almost 62 years (22,573 days, but who's counting), Richard Umstot; her cherished sister Cecelia Morris; and her dear friend Mike West.

She is also survived by her sons, Mark Umstot (wife Mitzi), with grandchildren Summer Dawn Walkabout-Baker, Keely Alexandra Umstot, and Taylor Kathryn Umstot; and Ross Umstot (wife Jennifer), with grandchildren Race and Finley Umstot; and many nieces and nephews who meant the world to her.