Kathleen Carty

Kathleen (Kitty) Burris Mathieson Carty of Richmond, Va, passed into eternal life on August 25, 2019.  She was born and lived much of her young life in Dinwiddie County but spent her mid-years in Petersburg and Colonial Heights.  She relocated to Richmond in her senior years. The most tremendous love and joy of her life were her two sons, Wesley Michael (Maryann) Lipchak and David Wilbur (Rebecca) Lipchak, sons of Wesley Lipchak to whom Kathleen was married for twenty-eight years. Kathleen was preceded in death by her parents, Wilbur Henry and Annie Marek Burris, by her beloved grandparents, Edd Adolph and Sarah Merten Marek, and by her husbands, David W. Mathieson of Petersburg and the Reverend John F. Carty of Colonial Heights. Kathleen worked at Petersburg General Hospital as an LPN for twelve years.  During these years, she attended Richard Bland College in Prince George County part time.  Immediately after her graduation with an Associate degree, she then attended Virginia Commonwealth University and received her BS in Social Work in 1978. Kathleen moved back to the working world as manager and social worker at a high rise for elderly in Petersburg.  Within three years, though, she returned to VCU to earn a Master of Social Work degree (MSW) in 1983 at the age of fifty-three.  She worked again as a social worker in a high rise for elderly and part time as a therapist for a psychiatrist in Petersburg.  She was a member of the American Association of University Women and the VCU Alumni Association.  She also attended Hatcher Memorial Baptist Church in Richmond. Later in life, Kathleen began to write articles for magazines and the local Petersburg newspaper.  She published several non-fiction books. Kitty loved people, all people, and enjoyed their close friendships throughout her life. She had five grandchildren – Maggie, Ben, Paul, Jonathan, and Susannah – and five great-grandchildren. The family will receive friends from 6:00 p.m. to 8:00 p.m. on Thursday, August 29, 2019 at the Colonial Heights Chapel of the E. Alvin Small Funeral Home, 2033 Boulevard, Colonial Heights, Virginia 23834.  The funeral service will be held there on Friday, August 30, 2019 at 2:00 p.m.  Interment will follow in Blandford Cemetery, Petersburg, Virginia 23803.  In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to a local food pantry of your choosing. Condolences may be registered at www.ealvinsmall.com.