Katherine Sigmon Hunter

Raleigh - Katherine Balfour Sigmon Hunter (Kitty), 97, died on February 2, 2019 in Raleigh. She was born August 5, 1921 in Salisbury, NC to Marie Hardin and Ross Minish Sigmon. Kitty grew up in Salisbury with her two beloved brothers, Sonny and Bill, in a family rich in Southern manners and customs. As a young girl, she loved riding horses and following the career of the famous Man o’ War. In summer, her family loaded their pony in the back of a truck and headed to Blowing Rock to escape the heat. In 1938, she graduated from Boyden High School where she was voted Miss Personality of her Senior Class. After graduating in 1940 from Saint Mary’s School in Raleigh, she returned to Salisbury and worked for the Department of Agriculture calculating cotton allotments. In the fall of October, 1941, while attending a family wedding, she met James Collett Hunter (JC), also of Salisbury. Their plans to marry in the spring changed abruptly with the bombing of Pearl Harbor. They were married twenty days later, on December 27, 1941. After the war, JC returned to his work with the Shell Oil Co. In 1958, they settled in Danville, Virginia with their two children, James and Katherine. A cradle Episcopalian, Kitty remained devoted to her church all of her life. She was baptized, confirmed and married in St. Luke’s Episcopal Church in Salisbury. While living in Danville for 50 years, she was a member of the Church of he Epiphany, where she taught Sunday School, was a member of the Altar Guild and served as President of the ECW. After JC died in 1990, Kitty lived another 16 years in Danville before moving to Raleigh, where she became a member of Christ Church An avid gardener, Kitty enjoyed growing and arranging flowers. She was a member of the Virginia Garden Club, the Virginia Museum of Art, the Wednesday Club, and the Virginia and North Carolina Colonial Dames. For many years she and JC enjoyed traveling, playing bridge and golfing. A lifelong sports enthusiast, Kitty loved to watch football, basketball, and especially golf. She continued to use a computer and iPad to email and enjoy Facebook well into her nineties. Often known as Miss Kitty, she was a Southern lady who liked people and enjoyed life. As a child of he Depression and War Generation, she possessed a strong sense of independence and determination. She was a kind and loving mother, grandmother, and friend to many. She will be deeply missed by her family: her daughter Katherine Hunter Bratton and husband John; her son James Collett Hunter, Jr. and wife Judy; her grandchildren: John Hunter Bratton; Sondra Hunter Blaser and husband Greg McCraw; Jennifer Catherine Hunter and her two sons, John Hunter Orell and Thomas Grant Orell; her niece Anne Sigmon McDonald; her nephews William Hill Sigmon, Jr., Lauriston Hardin Sigmon, Ross Minish Sigmon III, John Crowder Sigmon. Kitty was predeceased by her husband of 49 years and her brothers Ross Minish Sigmon, Jr. and William Hill Sigmon. The family and the deceased wish to thank Christ Church, Transitions LifeCare, and all of Kitty’s devoted caregivers. A Celebration of Life services will be held at Christ Episcopal Church, 120 Edenton St., Raleigh at 10:30 AM on Wednesday, February 6, 2019. Following the service, a graveside service will be held at Mountain View Cemetery, 400 Robertson Ave., Danville, Virginia at 3:00 PM. Memorial contributions may be made to Christ Church, 120 Edenton St., Raleigh, NC 27601 or St. Mary’s School, 900 Hillsborough St. Raleigh, NC 27603.