Katherine Jackson "Kitty" Bryant

1934 - 2025

Katherine "Kitty" Jackson Bryant

July 10, 1934 - September 24, 2025

Katherine "Kitty" Jackson Bryant, known for her wit, graciousness, and unshakable Southern charm, died peacefully at home on September 24, 2025, surrounded by her sons.

Kitty was born July 10, 1934, in Richmond, VA. She was preceded in death by her parents, Elizabeth and George S. Jackson. She is survived by her sons, Alfred Scales Bryant, Jr., and Victor Alexander Bryant; and many wonderful cousins in Betty Spicer Jenkins, Carey Spicer Thompson, and Mary Spicer Brannies, Elizabeth Bryant Zollinger, Margaret Bryant Walther, and Dewey Bryant Thomas.

Kitty grew up on Park Avenue in The Fan and was a 13-year student at the Collegiate School for Girls on Monument Avenue, where she excelled academically and athletically. She went on to attend Hollins College, graduating in 1956. While there, Kitty spent her Junior Year in France as a student at the Université Paris-Sorbonne, Hollins' first semester abroad program. She loved Paris so much that she did not want to return home! This experience started Kitty's lifelong love of travel.

Kitty was an adventurer. She moved to New York after graduating from college and was given eight weeks by her father to find a job or she would have to relocate back to Richmond. In Week four, she was hired by AT&T as a Customer Manager but fired the same day when they decided her strong Southern accent would likely upset some customers during the racial tensions at the time. In week seven, much to the chagrin of her parents, she was hired as the Executive Assistant to Commander Walter Whitehead, Director of Cadbury Schweppes, Ltd. Her claim to fame was that she had a male assistant in the 1950s, which she always found funny. She lived in NYC for seven years and loved every minute of it. She considered staying, but marriage and moving to Durham, NC, changed her plans.

Kitty lived with her family in Durham, Charlotte, and Richmond. During these years, Kitty and her family owned a beach house in Morehead City, NC. She had a real love for being on the water and spending time with her family and friends, relaxing on the porch. Morehead was clearly one of Kitty's 'happy places'.

As a native Richmonder, she returned to her hometown in 1980. She had a long career in real estate with several firms and eventually retired from The Steele Group Sotheby's. She was a consistent multimillion-dollar producer and sold her last house at 84. When Kitty started her real estate career at age 59, she found a real passion for homes, architecture, and accessories. Having built 2 homes for her own family prior to joining real estate, she loved the challenge of working with clients to find them not just a house, but a home which perfectly fit their own unique needs. Kitty developed a unique bond with her clients, and she was always amazed when these families came back to her years later for their next home. Many of these clients developed into lifelong friends.

Other than real estate, Kitty's other main passion was finding and buying antiques. One day, she and a shopping buddy looked at each other and said, "we cannot keep buying unless we start selling". This exchange was the birth of a fun and thriving business, 'Antiques and…', which was hosted at Kitty's home twice a year for many years. Kitty and her shopping buddies had great experiences scouring the big antique shows from Georgia to Pennsylvania.

In her later years, Kitty's obsession turned from antiques to her bridge game, which she loved having every Tuesday with lifelong friends

Everyone who knew Kitty loved her, and her warmth and humor will live on in the many lives she touched and the homes she helped create. She absolutely adored her friends, and with her winning and warm personality, she truly collected friends from her college days, as well as from her years living in Durham, Charlotte, and Richmond. For years, Kitty meticulously maintained a 'little black book' containing the names of her all of her friends from various locations and trusted contract professionals for her real estate clients. Each Christmas, she would religiously drive to NC to pick up wreaths and NC BBQ, which she would distribute as a 'thank you' to her friends and clients.

She was a member of The Junior League and Hope Valley Country Club in Durham, The Charlotte Country Club, and The Country Club of Virginia and The Woman's Club in Richmond. She was also a member of The Virginia Museum of Fine Arts, St. James's Episcopal Church, and served on the Board of Trustees for The Virginia Home.

There will be a graveside service at Hollywood Cemetery on Monday, November 17, at 1 p.m. with a reception to follow. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to St. James's Episcopal Church, The Virginia Home or to a favorite charity.