Read Kathy "Kat" Ann Travis's Obituary & Leave Condolences

In memory of

Kathy "Kat" Ann Travis

Memphis, TN, USA

May 13, 1963 - January 15, 2021

May 13, 1963 - Jan 15, 2021

Help keep everyone in the know by sharing this memorial website.

Share

Photo

Kathy Ann Travis, affectionately known as “Kat” and “K.T.” was born May 13, 1963 in Camden, TN to William “Ray” Travis and Pearlie Mae Rowe Travis. She grew up in Waverly, TN with her mother and two siblings, Nancy and Arnold Clay and her young niece, Cynthia who was several years younger than she. Her father, whom she and her siblings called “Daddy Ray” later passed when she was only 9 years old.

Kathy always loved kids and she often cared for her own nieces and nephew. She was even named godmother of her brother’s second child. Kathy graduated from Waverly Central High School in 1981 and later attended MTSU for two years. In 1987, Kathy and her niece Cynthia moved to the big city of Memphis, TN. She started working as a daycare teacher for several years. She later started her own day care center teaching a group of preschoolers and through these endeavors she built lasting friendships with her fun personality, wit and tell-it-like-it-is attitude.

A few years later, she met someone who would give her the greatest gift of her life and in the fall of 1994, she gave birth to her only son, Terry D. Jefferson, Jr. She brought him up to be a respectful, intelligent young man while working hard for many years as a purchasing agent at Fred’s Corporation to provide for him as a single mother. She also still cared for her nieces, Rhegan and Jasmine, helped to provide for her mother and stepfather, and always showed support for and put family first.

Kathy was a friend to many, outgoing, with a humorous personality and fun to be around. Those who knew her well could not do justice in expressing how much she LOVED Prince. She also loved to sing and when she did, it was a Prince song, most famously “Purple Rain”. She had the collection of Prince albums (vinyl), VHS tapes of his movies, posters, and loved anything purple. She was a HUGE Cowboy’s fan and also loved talking on the phone and would be laughing and chatting with friends Lisa and Jen, when she wasn’t enjoying cookouts and gatherings with her family.

In 2013 her only son graduated from high school. She claimed her time raising kids was done, but that was only temporary since her niece gave birth to her first born later that year. The following year, Kathy retired from Fred’s Corporation and spent her time having fun and enjoying being around her family and friends.

Later in years, her health began to get worse as her kidneys failed and she had to go to dialysis several times a week. This didn’t stop Kathy. She still found a way to let her light shine, put a smile on others faces and make you laugh. Her son and nephew Corey took care of her and made sure she made it to and from her appointments, while her sister and niece brought her food daily and made sure she didn’t want for anything.

On January 1, 2021 Kathy was admitted to the hospital due to health complications and was treated for two weeks. On the evening of January 15th after receiving visits from her family and friends, she died peacefully in her sleep at the hospital. One of the last songs she heard when she was alive was “Purple Rain” by Prince.

Kathy was predeceased by her father, William Ray Travis; parents Pearlie Mae Montgomery, Wilbert Montgomery; and brothers Thomas Welton Clay and Arnold Lee Clay. She is survived by her son Terry Jefferson Jr., sister Nancy Heard; extended siblings Linda Upchurch, Kenneth Montgomery and Al Clay; nieces Cynthia Puckett, Rhegan Clay, C’Koriyana Clay, Jasmine Flowers, Jameka “Meka” Moore and Winnie Cowen; nephews Corey Clay, Javarius Cox (NuNu) and Darius Goodman (DGood); A special sister-in-law Freida Clay; Special uncle Troy Montgomery, Special cousins Rita Crawley, Alice Spicer and Peggy Travis; best friends Lisa Phennessee, Tracy Phennessee, Ann Hooper, Jennifer Cathy, Shelia Bond, and Vera Johnson; a host of other nieces, nephews, cousins and other relatives.

Order a beautiful PDF you can print and save or share.

Get the PDF

Get notified when new photos, stories and other important updates are shared.