Kathryn Jolly Nemeth

Polly Kathryn Jolly Nemeth passed away on May 11, 2025, of natural causes at Piedmont Athens Regional Medical Center in Athens, GA. She was 83 years old.

Born on July 9, 1941, in Hiddenite, North Carolina, Kathryn was a beloved and devoted mother, grandmother, daughter, sister, cousin, niece, and friend. She graduated from Thomasville High School in Thomasville, NC in 1959, and she was a star basketball player and co-captain for the Mills Home girls basketball team. Kathryn was known for her inward and outward beauty. She attended Wingate Junior College in Wingate, NC and graduated with an Associate of Arts degree in education in 1961. Kathryn went on to Appalachian State Teachers College, where she graduated in 1963 with a Bachelor of Science degree in social studies and a minor in education. After graduation, Kathryn taught history and geography in North Carolina at Northeast Guilford High School in Greensboro and Millbrook High School in Raleigh.

After a few years of teaching, Kathryn decided to stay home to raise her two girls. She gave her all in this important role and provided endless support for her family. Kathryn was an active school volunteer, Brownie and Girl Scout troop leader, hospital volunteer, “neighborhood mom,” and good friend. She loved learning and traveling, gardening, spending time with her beloved pets, and collecting antiques and other treasures with her friends and family. She resided primarily in Marietta, GA, but also in Wilmington, NC, Raleigh, NC, Due West, SC, and Norfolk, VA. Her family was central to her life.

Kathryn is survived by her daughters, Jackie Nemeth and Cheryl N. Cumbus (Dwayne), all of Watkinsville, GA; grandchildren, Laurel and Charlie Cumbus, of Watkinsville; former husband, John C. Nemeth, of Christiansburg, VA; brothers, Walter Ingram Jolly (Linda) of Hiddenite, NC, and James P. Jolly (Tish) of Wilmington, NC; sister, Dianne Benoist (Al) of Dallas, NC; and nieces, Michelle Drake-Palmer (Cherryville, NC), Annette Allen (Gastonia, NC), Jennifer Jolly (Olin, NC), Amy Weisenberger (Denver, CO), and Laura Jolly (Carolina Beach, NC) and a nephew, Stephan Jolly (Port Tobacco, MD).

While Kathryn is and will be greatly missed, the family takes comfort knowing that she is reunited with her parents, the late Everette McCoy Jolly and Laura Rochelle Patterson Jolly, and with her elder brother, the late Clyde King (Babe) Jolly.

Funeral services will be held on Saturday, May 17, 2025, at Rocky Hill Baptist Church in Statesville, NC. Visitation will begin at 11 am, followed by services at 12 pm. Burial will follow in the church cemetery.

For those wishing to honor Kathryn’s memory, donations may be made to Rocky Hill Baptist Church, 823 Mountain View Road; Statesville, NC 28625 or to Baptist Children’s Homes of North Carolina, P.O. Box 338, Thomasville, NC 27361.