Katherine Elizabeth Spencer

Katherine “Kathy” Elizabeth Spencer was born on May 21, 1954, in Birmingham, Alabama, the first child of Elizabeth Anne Whitt Spencer and Roy Spear Spencer. She went to be with her Lord on September 4, 2026.

Kathy was born with a servant’s heart, always finding ways to love and uplift people even from a very young age. It’s no wonder that her professional calling was to be a teacher, a role into which she poured her heart for thirty-eight years. A proud graduate of Samford University, where she was a member of Delta Zeta sorority, she began her teaching career in 1976. In 1977, she received a letter from the Jefferson County Board of Education which read in part:

“Kathy, I am proud of your first year's work. You started your teaching with a zest for doing good; you seem to believe in the human potential and personal individuality of each student. Things were less than ideal for you to begin your teaching in a bare portable, but you did not become bitter and disillusioned. You made the portable attractive. Faced with what would have made some teachers bitter, you with your patience, courage, intelligence, and energy have been a force for positive growth. I am sure that another great teacher joins the teaching ranks.”

That “zest” never wavered through her nearly four decades of teaching math, first at Hewitt Trussville Junior High School, then at Pinson Valley High School, where she taught from 1984 until she retired in 2014. Ms. Spencer had a reputation for being no-nonsense in the classroom, and her classes were known for being academically challenging. But just beneath her businesslike demeanor was a depth of selfless care that changed the trajectory of countless lives. She was well known for arriving early and staying late to personally tutor any student who was willing to work. There are many stories of students who would not have graduated high school or gone on to college without her dedication to them, helping them become the best version of themselves not only as students but as young men and women.

Her passion as an educator was not limited to her students. Over the years she served many roles including Head of the Math Department, prom sponsor, cheerleading sponsor, organizer of the Math Fair, and proud supporter and self-designated “cookie-baker” for the football team. She loved her Pinson Valley athletics and tutored many athletes.

When math teachers at Pinson were required to take over math classes normally taught by Special Education teachers, Ms. Spencer gladly accepted the full responsibility of those classes herself, creating a family in doing so. She spoke lovingly of her “children” from this group, and considered her time spent with them to be some of the most fulfilling of her career.

She was also famous for her dedication to her colleagues and maintained lifelong friendships from all her eras of teaching, all the way back to her first years at the junior high school. She hosted her annual Christmas parties for decades, faithfully keeping the tradition year after year, and took great joy in bringing friends and former colleagues together over her homemade lemon snowballs, cheese straws, and sausage balls. She also hosted many showers, birthday parties, and celebrations of all kinds at her home, always making sure her people felt loved.

Kathy carried the same heart for hospitality and service into her friendships and her church, Huffman Baptist, where she taught Sunday School for many years, served on various committees, and sent the church’s weekly emails with prayer requests and announcements. She had an extraordinary gift for keeping in touch and making her friends feel loved, whether through birthday and Christmas gifts, helping them through tough times, or simply making sure they gathered regularly. She loved lunches at The Club, evenings in the driveway with neighbors and dogs at sunset, going to the theater, and watching and talking about sports, especially Auburn football and basketball.

Of her many accomplishments and sacrifices, Kathy rarely spoke and never bragged.

She did, however, brag often on her family. Her most cherished role was not as a teacher, but as “Aunt Kaky,” as she is known by her niece and nephew, and “Kaka,” as she became known to her great-nephew. Her name was the first he learned to say, and they adored each other.

In a famous commencement speech, Fred “Mister” Rogers encouraged the crowd of graduates to “take a moment to think about someone who believed in you... think about someone who nourished you at the deepest part of your being… anyone who has ever loved you and wanted what was best for you in life.” That is who Aunt Kaky was to us. She was our biggest fan and most loyal supporter. It is a great mystery to us how she never seemed to miss a recital or ballgame. She prayed for us daily, and likely more often than that. We felt like celebrities amongst her friends, who seemed to know all the details of our lives. We never experienced her businesslike demeanor — to us, she was only fun. We were blessed to receive the full force of her love. We will love, miss, and remember her forever.

Kathy is predeceased by her mother, her closest friend, for whom she provided years of loving and sacrificial care without a hint of complaint; her father, whom she adored and with whom she is reunited after so many long years; her two aunts and uncles, Virginia Poole (Albert) and Inez Stewart (Bob); her cousin, Bobby Stewart (Fran); and her beloved dog, Toby.

She is survived by her little brother, Steve (Lynne), of whom she was so proud. His selfless care for her over these last months lived up to the standard set by Aunt Kaky herself. She is also survived by her niece, Emily; her nephew, Dylan (Sarah) and great-nephew, Whitt; her cousin, Mitch Poole (Becky); many cherished cousins and extended family members; and her sweet rescue dog, Gracie.

Visitation will be at Huffman Baptist Church (700 Huffman Rd, Center Point, AL 35215) on Thursday, September 10, 2026, from 9:30–10:30 am. The funeral service will follow at 10:30 am.

In lieu of flowers, please consider making a donation to Crossing Paths Animal Rescue or an organization that represents Kathy to you.

A request from the family: if you have good stories or memories about Kathy that you’d like to share with us, we would love to read them. Please email them to [email protected]. Thank you.