Kathleen Ann Byrnes, age 70, beloved wife, mother, and grandmother, passed away peacefully at home in Richmond Hill, GA, on December 2, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. After a courageous multi-year battle with Lewy Body dementia, she entered eternal rest in the faith that guided her throughout her life.

Born in 1954, to Donald and Margaret (Mason) Jory, Kathy grew up in Utica, NY, where her strong values of family, service, and faith first took root. Her family enjoyed winter in the Adirondacks, where a $100 family season pass at McCauley Mountain allowed them to ski every weekend. She learned to ski about the same time that she learned to walk. She attended Our Lady of Lourdes in grade school and Utica Catholic Academy for high school. She later attended Morrisville Community College, earning an Associate's Degree in Nutrition & Dietetics. Kathy began her working life in the dietary department St. Elizabeth's Hospital in Utica, where she developed lifelong friendships.

Kathy was a spirited adventurer. In her 20s, she wandered with her friends around the northeast United Sates, having a series of unplanned adventures. Later she struck out west with her wandering brother Dan, enjoying a variety of ski towns and life in Colorado, working various jobs, sometimes selling condos in between runs on the slopes. She was following Dan when she met her future husband, Tom, on a ferry leaving Seattle for his home state of Alaska. The spark between them was strong and prevailing, the beginning nearly 43 years of partnership, devotion, and shared adventures. This included selling Discovery toys and establishing an in-home child care in Fairbanks, AK. This was enabled by strong support from Tom's parents. When the family moved to Kirksville, MO, Kathy was happy to spend her time focused on her own two young children. The last two years in of Tom's schooling included 18 months of traveling in his father's motor home, visiting relatives and taking the children to museums, libraries, forests, and beaches in Texas, Arizona, California, Oregon, Washington and New York before returning to Missouri. They packed up for three years in Pennsylvania, where she attended Northampton Community College and was a strong advocate for the Hands on Science program in the local primary schools. The US Army assigned the family to Georgia, and Kathy selected Richmond Hill as a compromise location between Tom's duties at Ft. Stewart and the dance and drama classes for Erin in Savannah. Faith was central to Kathy's life. As a devoted Catholic, she served joyfully as a greeter at her home parish. She also helped year after year with the Boy Scout Troop 527 chicken dinner fund raiser, reflecting her lifelong commitment to community and service.

Kathy spent more than two decades as the office manager in the family urgent care and osteopathic headache treatment practice – a role in which her kindness, dedication, and steady presence were felt by every patient, student and colleague who walked through the doors.

Kathy's greatest joy in life was being with and supporting her family. She loved cooking healthy meals, cheering from the sidelines at countless sporting, dance, and theater events, and spending cherished time with her lively grandchildren. She always was happy to be the unofficial amateur family photographer. She loved being a patient listener to her friends and family.

Kathy is survived by her loving husband, Tom; her children, Erin Cantrell (Jeremiah), Christopher Byrnes (Elizabeth); and her treasured grandchildren Mason, Liam, Dawson, Kai, Aurora, and Sophia; siblings Maureen Cronauer (Alan), Thomas Jory (Cheryl) and John Jory; in- laws Kathy Sharpe (George), Timothy Byrnes (Eliza), Daniel Byrnes (Dianne), Maria Mattson(Bob), Mark Byrnes (Stephanie) and Karen Bucek; nieces and nephews (and their children): Joe Byrnes, Jessica Rothe (Levi; Eli, Megan, & Bethany), Carolyn Cronauer, Stephen Cronauer, and Matthew Cronauer, Brittney Laudenschlager (Jeff; Rowan). She leaves behind a circle of family and friends who adored her for her warm heart, excellent listening ear, steadfast loyalty, and quiet humility.

Kathy was predeceased by her parents Don and Peg, her brother Dan and in-laws Thomas Byrnes Sr. and Jeanne Marie (Lavis) Byrnes.

Kathy will be remembered most for the way she made people feel—heard, valued, and deeply loved. Her legacy lives on in the countless lives she touched with her gentle grace.

The Byrnes family would like to express sincere thanks to all who have helped providing exceptional care for Kathy during these last challenging five years, including Ana, Nevaeh, Bea, Rhonda and all of the Visiting Angels caregivers; Denise at Lox Hair studio; Pennie and staff at Abilities Unlimited; Becky and Kathy at GEM (Get Excited and Move) the exercise class that helped her extend her physical capability far longer than she otherwise would have; Sun Crest Home Health, Cornerstone Caregivers, and Hearth Hospice for their kind help. Thank you to the outstanding physicians, nurses, therapists, PCTs, and staff at Coastal Peninsula Hospital in Soldotna, AK, as well as St. Joseph's Hospital in Savannah, GA. Also many thanks to the staff at Sunshine Breakfast Café, where we had breakfast every Sunday for most of the past decade. Last, but certainly not least, we must express our gratitude for the prayers, love and support of our families during these past weeks, months and years. We so appreciate y'all.

Service details will be shared here once finalized.

For Memorial donations please consider GEM (getexcitedandmove.org) and/or Abilities Unlimited (abilitiesunlimited.us/donate). You can even see Kathy boxing on the AU website homepage.

Visitation will be held at 4 p.m. to 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 9th, 2026at Richmond Hill Funeral Home.

Memorial Services will be held at 5:30 p.m. on Friday, January 9th, 2026at Richmond Hill Funeral Home.