Our dear Aunt Kate always reflected her Christian beliefs.  She is going to be missed by every person whose life she touched.  I will never forget her gentle mannerisms.  As children, we couldn't wait for the Pierrotties to come to Grandma Johnson's house.  I can still hear her laughing at our silly childhood antics.  Loved by all, respected by all, and missed by all, she will reap her rewards in Heaven.

I don't think there are enough words to say how much I loved Aunt Kate.  She was so kind to everyone.  She gave me great memories at Grandma Johnson's House that will keep her alive in my heart forever.  My love and heart felt prayers go out to all.  I will miss her dearly.

Debbie & Penny - Another angel, Mrs. Kate has been greeted at Heaven's door. What a precious & sweet mom the Lord blessed you with. I recall growing up a few doors away on Guillory St & was at your house on many occasions. Your mom was one of the kindest ladies I have known. Moms are a very special gift from God - may you always cherish the wonderful memories of your mom. You are in my thoughts & prayers as God carries you through this difficult time.

Mrs. Kate was a very special lady and friend. She was a very wonderful person that cared for everyone. I remember going with her to visit our church members when my husband pastored her at the church for 6 years. She always treated us like we were her family. She will be greatly missed. My prayers and thoughts go out to the family. Thank you for your life and what you have meant to each of us.

Mrs. Pierrottie was such a wonderful, caring person. I feel honored to have known her. My prayers are with her family, may your cherished memories of Mrs. Kate comfort you.

I am so sorry to hear that Mrs. Pierrottie has passed away. She was such a sweet lady.

 “I have 78 years of life to talk about,” she said, as we sat down in front of the glass door, looking out to the pond.  It was 2002 and Maw Maw was eager to participate in an interview.  In fact, she would barely let me get a word in edgewise.  I can no longer recall why I had the assignment of conducting a conversation with someone who was older than me, but I remember being very pleased to have decided to get Maw Maw in on the task.  It’s funny how much you can learn about someone through a few simple questions.  “Do you have any hobbies?”  “How did you meet Paw Paw?”  “You were born in a tent?!”  
The way she told it, Kate Johnson was born in rural Brandon, Mississippi to a cross-tie inspector and a homemaker, completing the Johnson clan that already included two boys.  She and her twin sister, Alice, were born in, yes, a tent, in May of 1924.  Or was it June of 1923?  Kate was never real confident about her birth date.  “The doctor who delivered me didn’t keep records like he was supposed to,” she said.  And then some have heard something about a courthouse fire.  No matter what happened, a forgetful doctor or a fire in the file room, for those keeping count, we celebrate her birthday on June 7.  We had a party this year, complete with a party hat for the birthday girl and an off-key, though spirited, rendition of “Happy Birthday.”  She turned 87…we think.       
Like many, the Johnson family didn’t emerge from the Great Depression unscathed.  In fact, when Kate was 5, they were forced to move from Brandon to Ocean Springs, in search of opportunity.  “My daddy lost everything,” she said, matter-of-factly.  “So we had to move.”  Despite what may seem a grim start to life, she enjoyed her childhood immensely and spoke fondly of her many years spent in Mississippi.  “Know what I remember?” she asked.  “There were always chicks jumping all over in the yard.  I enjoyed that.”  Once in Ocean Springs, her dad raised cattle, pigs, and, of course, chickens.  Mr. Johnson also gardened.  He supplied the family with potatoes, corn, and tons of beautiful tomatoes that would eventually end up in one of her mother’s canning jars.  In those simpler times, you grew and raised what you ate.  “We only had to buy coffee, flour, sugar, and rice.”  She recalled eating meat only every once-in-a-while, usually on Sunday, and usually fried chicken.  “Daddy didn’t like to kill the cows,” she remembered.  “And I wouldn’t milk ‘em,” she added with a smile.  Apparently, though, the pigs didn’t get such a reprieve.  “We sure had all the bacon you could want.”  
The Johnsons got their first radio when Kate was 15.  She recalled, “I listened to the Grand Ole Opry.  Daddy listened to boxing, and Mama listened to soap operas.”  She was able to remember one particular Christmas when the family excitedly went to town with $40 to spend.  Unfortunately, her mother lost the money and there was no Christmas that year.  She reminisced about how every school year an aunt in Mobile would send 5 dresses for her and Alice.  Being a life-long member of the Methodist church, she talked about riding in the back of a Model T Ford to get to the United Methodist Church of Ocean Springs.  And if it rained?  “We just went to church wet.”  She then spoke about how her mother would bleach flour sacks and use them to sew their underwear, and she remembers wearing high top tennis shoes.    
High tops.  What else would an all-star basketball player wear?  Kate played on the St Martin High School Girls’ Basketball Team and was picked as an all-star athlete for a regional tournament, which is something she recollected proudly.  The girls’ team didn’t have a gym; they played on dirt courts.  Oh, and Kate dated the coach.  How scandalous!  Her high school career ended in 1943, when she graduated Valedictorian of her 7-member class.    
Kate met her husband, Raymond Dallas Pierrottie during WWII.  He was working as a mechanic for the Air Force, when she went to spend the night with a friend in Biloxi.  And Biloxi was full of soldiers.  “There must have been 4 soldiers for every girl!” she remembered.  Raymond and Kate met at a restaurant and started writing each other.  They got married 1 year later, in 1944, by a Justice of the Peace…much to the dismay of her mother, who didn’t want any daughter of hers marrying a soldier.  Nevertheless, they got a 1-room apartment in Biloxi and “lived off sandwiches,” while she worked as a clerk in the Air Force laundry room and he continued work as a mechanic.  It wasn’t long before Raymond’s squadron was secretly moved to Denver.  It was 2 weeks before Kate received a letter from her husband, telling her where he was.  And that’s how Kate happened to take her first train ride and catch her first glimpse of the mountains.  Once in Denver, she got an apartment with a girl she met on the train, which sounds like a movie plot from the ‘40s, starring Rita Hayworth and Betty Grable.  What did Kate remember most about this time in her life?  Waiting excitedly for the “boys” to come home.
Once Raymond was out of the service, in 1946, the Pierrottie’s gladly left Denver.  It hailed a lot there and she didn’t like the weather.  They moved to Westlake, Louisiana, to be near Raymond’s family.  He worked at Olin Chemicals and she was a housewife.  They became the proud parents of Penny Ann, Cheryl Ann, and Deborah Kay.  Sadly, though, Kate recalled, “I couldn’t have boys.”  The family endured the traumatic losses of two still-born baby boys.  She said it was difficult, but she always saw the hard times as a reason to remain faithful to God, and proudly counted “raising three wonderful daughters and being married for 51 years” as her most important accomplishments.  She said there were times in her life she wouldn’t have gotten through if not for her daughters, and spoke specifically about having hip replacement surgery.  One of her daughters stayed with her at the hospital at all times, and it really meant a lot to her.  “I just don’t think I could have made it without my daughters by my side.”  She called her three girls her “best friends.”
In 1984, Raymond went to the doctor for a check-up and was told his kidneys were failing due to a blocked artery.  In 1992, he began dialysis, going 3 times a week.  In 1994, his legs were amputated.  And in 1995, Kate’s motorcycle-riding soldier passed away.  Kate was with him for every hospital visit and every dialysis appointment; yet, she credited her “good church friends” with helping her through the tough times, when he was sick.  And of course, she kept her faith in God.  She added, “you know, I’ve always been afraid of bad weather, but it doesn’t bother me now, since Raymond’s been gone.  I think God didn’t want me to be scared while I was alone.”
When you live such a long, happy, and faithful life, you’ve got lots of stories to tell, stories that are ripe for the picking as long as someone asks.  Kate was a twin sister, a basketball player, an Air Force wife, a devoted mother to 3.  She was a founding member of Westlake United Methodist Church.  She could get to Abraham’s Tent blind-folded.  For 15 years, she was a teacher’s aide in a Special Education class.  She brought smiles to the elderly, comfort to those who were sick, and food to those who were hungry.  However, to me and her many other grandchildren she was “Maw Maw.”  And she was good at it.  In fact, she should have taught classes on the subject.  When you spent the night at Maw Maw and Paw Paw’s, you got Kool-Aid and Little Debbie Star Crunch for breakfast.  At Maw Maw’s, the radio was always tuned to the weather and if we were being particularly rowdy, she wouldn’t hesitate to yell, “Y’all stop stirring up the dust!  Quit wrasslin’!”  If you fell in a pile of ants, she knew just what to do.  If you were “mistreated” by your older sister who happened to be baby-sitting you at the time, you could just walk to Maw Maw’s and she would make it all right.  She knew how to make the good spaghetti and she could trick any kid into eating their veggies once she had her Magnalite pot of cabbage rolls on the stove.  If you needed to catch up on the latest Days of Our Lives story, Maw Maw was the person to ask.  And as all Maw Maws should be, she was wise.  Through high school break-ups, divorces, arguments with brothers and sisters, and disagreements with parents who just didn’t understand , Maw Maw would watch and listen and keep her comments to herself…until she couldn’t keep quiet anymore.  I can hear her voice say, “now, Lauren.  I wanna tell you something.”  And then she would go on to give me some no-nonsense, this-is-how-God-likes it advice.  
“Never believe that a few caring people can’t change the world.  For, indeed, that’s all who ever have.”  An anthropologist said that in the 20’s, and I doubt Maw Maw ever came across the quote.  But, she lived her life like she knew that to be a universal truth.  As our interview came to a close, I remember asking her why she spent so much of her time going to other peoples’ doctor appointments, shopping for other peoples’ groceries, and visiting other peoples’ relatives.  She said simply, “I love God.  And if you love someone you’ll do anything for them.  I like to do things for him because he has done so much for me.”

Kate Pierrottie was more to me than just Maw Maw. She was a grandmother, mother, and best friend all in one.  She loved her family and church with all her heart and she dedicated her life to serving others for the Glory of God.  She was my angel on earth and I will miss her more than my words could ever express. She never wanted for anything and would give you everything she owned if you needed it. She never judged or held a grudge and would love and forgive you like a prodigal son when you knew you didn’t deserve it.  She loved her some Chris too. She was my greatest fan and I tried my best to make her proud. I can’t remember too many days that went by that we didn’t talk on the phone or visit for a spell. Her Christian faith was evident in her life and I was lucky enough to witness it on a daily basis. I can remember as a child her teaching me how to kneel and pray “The Lord’s Prayer” and if I would get up in the middle of the night she would be up at all hours of the night diligently studying the Bible. I thought the women never slept.  Growing up I thought prayer groups were an excuse for old people to drink coffee and eat cookies because we were either holding one or we were at one.  I remember her always dragging me to nursing homes, hospitals, shelters, or visiting the elderly shut ins, just to mention a few. I didn’t realize it then but she was teaching me how to serve the Lord. At the time I thought she just had a lot of friends that we were just going to see. She prayed to God for guidance and wisdom for everything thing like a good Christian should.  She was the only person I knew who could lose her keys and search and search and would not find them until she prayed about it. Then she would tell me how God can do anything in your life if you trust in him.  She was an amazing woman who will be missed by many. I never realized it at the time, but she was teaching me small lessons everyday on how to be a Christian and serve others like Jesus called us to do. My prayer is to continue to make her proud and raise my children to be faithful Christians who love and serve the Lord like she taught me. To my grandmother, mother, and best friend I love you and look forward to the day we again. 

Love,

Chris

OBITUARY

Kate J. Pierrottie

June 7, 1923 – October 16, 2011

Hixson Westlake

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