Mrs. Katherine McCarty Keys

Katherine Lillian McCarty Keys, 94, died Tuesday, November 20, 2012, at Forsyth Medical Center, following a brief illness. She was preceded in death by her husband, Joseph Andrew Keys, and survived by her daughter, Kay Keys Allison and her husband Roy of Richmond, VA. Also surviving are the grandchildren she adored: Clay Gilbert and his wife Stephanie, Andy Gilbert and his wife Brooke, Logan Allison Vetrovec and her husband John, all of Richmond, and Lee Allison and his wife Casey, of Gastonia, NC. In addition, she was revered by five great-grandchildren: Turner and James Gilbert, Judson Gilbert, and Stella and Whit Vetrovec, all of Richmond; and nieces and nephews Alice Haggerty of Richmond, David McCarty and his wife Judy of Rocky Mount, VA, Virginia Hutton of Glade Spring, VA, Jack McCarty, Jr. and his wife Rosie of Marion, VA, Spiller McCoy of Union, SC, Charles McCarty, Jr., and his wife Rosemary of Tucson, AZ, and Libby Burchett and her husband Bob of Austin, TX.
Katy was born on March 10, 1918, the youngest of the ten children of Mable and James McCarty of Rich Valley, VA, and all of her siblings have predeceased her. As a child of Southwest Virginia, she had fond memories of the beauty of the old home place in Rich Valley, her high school days in Galax, meeting the boys of the CCC who were working on the Blue Ridge Parkway, and traveling so far east to attend Westhampton College of the University of Richmond. Her grandchildren remember her stories of playing basketball in high school, especially the games in the old gym at Low Gap. Since her mother died while she was young, Katy was mostly raised by her older brothers and sisters, and she had great stories of James, Charles, Gene, Sidney, Willie, Joe,Jack, Virginia, and Lucile. After his service in WWII, Joe Keys of Glade Spring married Katy and they moved to Richmond, where their daughter Kay was born in 1948. A few years later, when her brother Sidney's wife died, Katy and family moved to Mt. Airy, NC. She reared Alice and David along with Kay in the Manse of First Presbyterian Church, where Sidney was Pastor for many years. Joe and Katy had celebrated over fifty-three years of marriage prior to his death in 1999.
After many years on Grace Street and later Robin Road, Katy made her home at RidgeCrest since 2008. She will be missed by her many friends there, as she was an active participant in just about every function held since her arrival - especially dinner, which she regarded as the best meal in town.
Services will be Saturday November 24, 2012 at 1:00PM at First Presbyterian Church, Mt. Airy, NC, with Dr. Steve Lindsley and Rev. David McCarty officiating. Interment will follow in Oakdale Cemetery. The Keys family will have a reception at RidgeCrest Retirement and Assisted Living Community immediately after the service. In lieu of flowers memorials are requested to be directed to First Presbyterian Church PO Box 1286 Mount Airy, NC 27030.