Kitty Kay Thornburg Heller

Born and raised in Dallas, North Carolina, Kitty is remembered as a transformative elementary school teacher (Raleigh, Chapel Hill, Carrboro, and Swarthmore, PA) and the author of the respected local history Dallas, North Carolina — A Brief History, as well as a highly regarded businesswoman and Girl Scout troop leader.

She earned a bachelor’s degree at Lenoir-Rhyne University and a Master’s degree in Education at Salem State University (MA). Kitty emanated a quiet and deeply held faith that suffused her entire life. Her lifelong commitment to learning and teaching others with a selfless compassion for people from all backgrounds and ways of life, combined with her profound love for her students and fellow teachers, deeply impacted everyone who knew her.

Kitty’s greatest love was her three daughters, Kythe, Sonya, and Ingrid, and son-in-law Guy, as well as her grandchildren, Baxter, Olivia, Portia, Romeo, and Maximillian.

A memorial service will be held on Sunday, August 28, at 2pm at Holy Communion Lutheran Church in Dallas, North Carolina, followed by the burial and reception. Visitation will be at Dallas Funeral Home (Carothers) the evening prior — Saturday, August 27, from 6-8pm.

In lieu of giving flowers, the family asks that those who are able instead make a donation in her name to the Solve ME/CFS Initiative, ELCA World Hunger, or North Carolina Association for the Education of Young Children [NCAEYC].