Kathy Jean Whorton

Kathy Jean Whorton, 65, of Decatur passed on Thursday, July 31, 2014 at Emory University Hospital. Born February 6, 1949 in Utica, New York, she was the daughter of Genevieve Swierczek Piersma and the late Julian Swierczek. Kathy was a mother, a teacher, and lover of music. She began her career as a registered nurse until she answered her true calling to teach music. She earned her Bachelor of Music from the University of Georgia. Kathy taught general elementary music and middle school band while raising a family. She was a musical mom to many, running an in-home music studio called Windsong. She taught many children from the Athens area and loved teaching children about music. She was acknowledged as a very gifted music teacher. Kathy was also an amazing cook, cooking everything from scratch. She passed down her love of cooking to her daughters, sharing how to make spaghetti sauce, Thanksgiving stuffing, and teaching them how to can jams and pickles. She was loving, generous, and thoughtful and will be truly missed by many, especially her family and the children of Decatur. She is survived by her sisters, Sandra Swierczek and Jean Carman, her mother Genevieve Swierczek Piersma, her daughters, Kasha Whorton Hayes and Stefanie Whorton Costello, four grandchildren: Quinn, Asher, Theodore, and Henry, and her partner Paul Younghans. A memorial service will be held at A.S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home in Decatur, GA on Saturday, August 2 at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Kathy Jean Whorton Band Instrument Fund established by her family. To make a donation to the fund, which will support music education at City Schools of Decatur, please go to www.decatureducationfoundation.org and click the donate link. Include Kathy's name in the comment box. Checks for the fund can be mailed to: DEF, 200 Nelson Ferry Road, Suite B, Decatur, GA 30030. Make payable to DEF and indicate that the check is for the Kathy Whorton Fund. The family will receive friends on Saturday from 9:00 am to 10:00 am at A. S. Turner and Sons Funeral Home and Crematory.



Funeral Home:
A.S. Turner
2773 N. Decatur Road
Decatur, GA
30033