Jane Katherine “Kathy” Byrd, beloved mother, Nana, BeBee, great-grandmother, friend, farmer, gardener, conservationist, and the steady heart of her family, passed away on September 5, 2026, at the age of 79. She died peacefully at home on the family farm, surrounded by her family, just as she wanted.

Kathy was born on December 7, 1946, to Margie and Gilbert Borchers of Cuero, Texas. An only child, she was affectionately considered the “city girl” among many of her cousins and extended family in Centralia, Texas. Life, however, would eventually take that city girl down a very different path.

Kathy graduated from Fredericksburg High School and later attended Abilene Christian College, where she earned a degree in home economics and nutrition. After graduation, she moved across Texas to Tyler, where she began working in programs serving senior adults, including nutrition, Meals on Wheels, and life-skills programs. In one of the wonderful turns of her life story, Kathy’s supervisor would eventually become her mother-in-law.

It was during those years that Kathy met Larry Byrd. Their courtship was brief, but their commitment was not. Larry proposed to Kathy on a hill overlooking his family’s rural farm outside Gladewater, Texas. She said yes, and together they began building a life that would span a family, farm, businesses, and a legacy that continues today.

In Loving Memory

Kathy spent countless hours making what the family came to know as her “feather creations” and “succulent creations.” Often working while a Hallmark movie played in the background, she carefully selected unusual containers and materials and created gifts that were never exactly alike. Each was made with meticulous care and was truly one of a kind.

To receive a “Nana Creation” for a birthday or Christmas was a special blessing. They were more than decorations. They were pieces of Nana—made by her hands specifically for someone she loved.

Kathy also treasured family history, family stories, and the tangible reminders of those who came before her. She found all three in Byrd Pottery, which she began collecting after Larry introduced her to his family and its history. Made by members of the Byrd family from the early 1900s through the 1940s as a way to make a living through difficult years, including the Depression, each piece carried a story of creativity, hard work, and sacrifice. Kathy, Matt, Mark, and the extended Byrd family continued collecting the pottery together, helping preserve those family stories for future generations.

 Kathy’s greatest legacy, however, is her family.

She is survived by her sons, Matt and Mark; daughters-in-law, Karla and Lora; six grandchildren, Tori, Kadi and husband Dylan, Nick, Rayne and husband Daniel, Blake, and Austin; two great-grandchildren, Archie and Ivy; and the many bonus children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren whom Kathy welcomed and loved as her own.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Larry Byrd; her parents, Margie and Gilbert Borchers; and her parents-in-law, Rudolph and Lucille Byrd.

Kathy and Larry began their marriage in a small two-bedroom house on a farm outside Gladewater, with no way of knowing where the years ahead would take them. Together, they built much more than a farm and businesses. They built a family. They cared for the land entrusted to them. They created opportunities for the generations who followed them. They left an example of what can be accomplished through faith, hard work, perseverance, and commitment to one another.

Kathy’s family will miss her wisdom, her creativity, her quiet strength, her meticulous attention to detail, and the way she loved and cared for the people around her.

Most of all, they will simply miss their Mom, their Nana, and their BeBee.

In a fitting conclusion to the life Kathy and Larry built together, Kathy’s ashes will be spread alongside Larry’s on the family farm, on the same hill where he asked for her hand in marriage so many years ago. The place where their life together began will also be the place where they will rest together.

Celebration of Life Saturday, September 12, 2026 - First Assembly of God, Gladewater, Texas Visitation: 1:00-2:00 p.m. | Service: 2:00 p.m. Memorial Donations In lieu of flowers, memorial gifts may be made to Graciously Broken Ministries in Kathy’s memory. Scan the QR code or visit www.graciouslybroken.com.

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