Katherine "Kitty" Voelker Mattesky

Katherine “Kitty” Voelker Mattesky died peacefully on November 18, 2025. She was born on July 21, 1957, in Lake Providence, Louisiana, to Virginia Wilson Voelker and Frank Voelker Jr. She grew up in a house beside the lake, where the water and tall cypress trees shaped the rhythms of her early life. She was one of six children.

Kitty graduated from Briarfield Academy and later studied Theatre Arts at Hollins University where she met her husband of forty-one years, Steve Mattesky. They were married by the lake in Lake Providence and loved each other dearly. Together they raised three daughters: Molly, Emma, and Madeleine, shaping a family grounded in love.

Kitty found an extended family at the Academy of the Sacred Heart in New Orleans where she was a member of the faculty for forty years. She believed in the power of girls’ education and that girls were capable of bold thought, purposeful action and strong leadership. She taught English for many years and later channeled everything she valued in learning - curiosity, empathy and creativity - into the establishment of the Innovation Lab where students could watch their ideas develop and take form.

In the classroom and in her life, Kitty’s imagination was boundless. She always asked, “what else?”. She loved smart ideas, good writing, and, most of all, interesting conversation. Kitty had a rare and remarkable gift, a steadfast belief that each person is capable of far more than they imagine.

Her greatest joy was being a mother and a grandmother. Kitty is survived by her husband, Stephen Eyler Mattesky; her daughters, Molly Mattesky Sanders (Arthur), Emma Mattesky Neeb (Matthew), and Madeleine Mattesky Langenstein (William); and her grandchildren Eyler, Lily, and Isabel Sanders, Katherine “Kit” and Anne “Annie” Neeb. She is also survived by her sisters, Mullady Voelker Crigler and Mary Voelker Clauss; her brother, Frank Voelker III; her brother-in-law, Thomas Alexander Mattesky; as well as numerous nieces and nephews. She was preceded in death by her parents and brothers, George Wilson Voelker and David Ransdell Voelker. Her life touched thousands of students, colleagues, friends and family members.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial gifts be made to the Academy of the Sacred Heart, 4521 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115, to continue the transformative work that defined Kitty’s life and shaped generations of students.

Services to honor Kitty will be held at the Academy of the Sacred Heart Chapel on Monday, November 24th, 4521 Saint Charles Avenue, New Orleans, LA 70115. Visitation from 11:00 am- 1:00 pm and service to follow at 1:00 pm. Please join us to celebrate Kitty’s life.