Virginia Kizziah

Virginia was born on November 17, 1941, in Tuscaloosa, Alabama, and passed away on September 20, 2026, at UAB Hospital in Birmingham, Alabama, at the age of 84. She was a lifelong Southern woman who believed in the things that mattered most: family, a full table, hard work, good food, laughter, and making sure nobody ever left her home hungry.

Virginia, known to most everyone as Pitt, Aunt Pitt, or Granny Pitt, was a warm light in every room she entered. She was funny, loving, strong-willed, sometimes stubborn, and, to so many people, simply everybody's mama. She had a way of making everyone feel like they belonged to her. It didn't matter if you were family by blood, a friend, a neighbor, a niece or nephew, or someone who had simply walked through her door-you were welcomed, loved, and, more often than not, fed.

If you ever stepped through Virginia's door, you could count on hearing the same familiar question:

"Y'all want something to eat?"

And she meant it.

The kitchen was one of Virginia's favorite places to be. There was almost always a radio playing, something cooking on the stove, and someone nearby learning a recipe, sharing a story, or simply keeping her company. She didn't just cook for her family-she taught them. Her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren learned their way around the kitchen because Granny took the time to show them. Through her cooking, she passed down more than recipes. She passed down tradition, love, and the importance of gathering around a table together.

Family was the center of Virginia's world. She was truly the centerpiece of her family and one of the people responsible for bringing everyone together time and time again. She loved family gatherings, cookouts, and those long Southern afternoons when there was enough food to feed an army. There would be music playing, people talking and laughing, plates being filled, children running and playing in the yard, and Virginia right in the middle of it all.

Those gatherings were never just about the food. They were about being together.

She created a home where family and friends knew they could always come, always sit down, always eat, and always feel loved. She had a motherly heart that seemed to have room for everyone. Many people who were not her children by birth still knew her as someone they could turn to a woman who cared for them, fed them, fussed at them when necessary, and loved them like they were her own.

When Virginia wasn't in her kitchen, you could often find her outside. She loved sitting on the porch in her rocking chair, watching the world go by, feeding the birds and watching hummingbirds and butterflies, and she loved watching children play in the yard. She loved her flowers and her garden, and many days were spent outside working in the garden, snapping peas, cutting corn, and enjoying the simple pleasures of a life well lived.

Virginia also loved to travel, especially with her beloved sister Poogy and family friend Dorothy. Their trips did not always go exactly according to plan-getting lost along the way was almost part of the adventure-but those wrong turns became some of the best stories and memories. For Virginia, it was never really about getting where you were going. It was about who you were with, the laughter along the way, and the memories made together.

She was a good, old-fashioned Southern granny in every sense of the word. She loved fiercely, cooked generously, gathered her family often, and made sure there was always a place for one more at her table.

Virginia leaves behind a family who will carry her love and lessons with them for generations to come.

She is survived by her children, Deborah Milam (Josh) and Daren Kizziah (Stacy); grandchildren, Josh Milam (Tonya), Jessica Milam (Chris), Danielle Nichols (Connor), Hollie Fritts (Cole), Nathan Cherry, and Bethany Kizziah; and great-grandchildren, Logan Milam, Riley Milam, Owen George, Lora Sharp, and Calloway Nichols. She is also survived by her siblings, Jackie Avery and Butch Teat, along with many nieces, nephews, extended family members, and dear family friends whom she loved and treated as her own.

She was preceded in death by her beloved husband, Leesal Kizziah; her parents, Jack and Mary Alice Teat; and her brothers, Billy Teat and Jimmy Teat.

Virginia leaves behind much more than a family tree. She leaves behind recipes and traditions, stories and laughter, gardens and porch memories, Sunday meals and family cookouts, and a lifetime of lessons about what it means to love people well.

She leaves behind an empty rocking chair, a quieter kitchen, and a table that will never feel quite the same without her sitting nearby.

The family will not be the same without Granny around.

But every time the radio plays in the kitchen, every time someone snaps peas or cuts corn, every time a hummingbird visits the flowers, every time a family gathers around a table with far more food than they could possibly eat, and every time someone asks, "Y'all hungry, or y'all want something to eat?"-a little piece of Virginia will be there.

Her love will live on in the people she raised, the people she taught, the people she fed, and the generations who will continue the traditions she held so dear.

She was loved deeply. She will be missed dearly. And she will never be forgotten.

Funeral Services

Visitation will be held Thursday, September 24, 2026, at 1:00 p.m. at Memory Chapel Funeral Home, 2200 Skyland Boulevard East, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35405.

A memorial service will follow at 2:00 p.m., officiated by Jack Avery.

The final resting place will be Memory Hill Gardens, 2200 Skyland Boulevard, Tuscaloosa, Alabama 35405.

Pallbearers include Josh Milam, Nathan Cherry, Logan Milam, Jack Avery, Brian Avery, Billy Johnson, Toby Avery, Josh Cherry, and Thomas Dodson.

The family extends special thanks to Betty Tubbs, Donna Robertson, and the faculty and staff of UAB Birmingham ICU and Palliative Care for their care, compassion, and kindness.