Katherine Garnett Baranski, 77, passed away peacefully on May 19, 2026. She was born on September 3, 1948 to Theodore and Garnett Baranski in Jacksonville, Florida. After living in Morocco until she was a toddler, she and her sister, Linda, spent their childhood in Coral Gables, Florida, where she enjoyed ballet, art and riding horses. She graduated from Stetson University in Florida and settled in Arlington, VA. She worked as an administrative assistant while she raised her daughter, Emily, and then enjoyed a second career and true calling as a beloved special education teacher at Yorktown High School in Arlington, VA.
For her last decade, she found new purpose as a devoted grandmother to her two granddaughters. She loved to plan trips, watch the backyard birds, work in her garden, and she was a voracious reader. She poured her heart into her family.
Kathy is survived by her daughter, Emily, son-in-law Paul, and granddaughters Grace and Vivian. She is preceded in death by her parents and her sister, Linda.
A celebration of life will be held at First Baptist Church of Alexandria on Friday, June 5th at 3 pm.
