Carletta "Kitty" May (Brown) Nurre

Born in Pascagoula, Mississippi, to Eunice and George Henry Brown Sr., Kitty spent much of her early life there with her parents and three younger brothers, G.H. Jr., Raymond and Claude. That was also where she was first grounded in her strong Catholic faith that sustained her throughout her life.

Kitty met the love of her life, Tom Nurre Sr., while he was in technical school at Keesler AFB in nearby Biloxi. Despite him being a Yankee from Iowa, he made enough of an impression during USO dances and other outings that they maintained a long-distance relationship through letters during his first Air Force assignment in Alaska. Tom and Kitty were married in her hometown on Dec. 26, 1963.

But just as the Air Force had brought them together, it also kept them apart while Tom served solo overseas assignments for much of their early marriage. They eventually reunited for an assignment in San Angelo, where their first two children, Mary and Tom Jr., were born. That’s also where the nomadic part of Kitty’s life as an Air Force wife really began. Next up was an assignment in the Philippines, a year on the Nurre Family farm in Iowa while Tom served during the Vietnam War, and an assignment to Elmendorf AFB in Anchorage, Alaska, where their third child, Virginia, was born.

With her family complete, Kitty then enjoyed her favorite assignment, four years in England, where she fell in love with everything from the people to the culture to the antiques to the chocolate. That was followed by further stops in San Antonio, Alaska, England, San Angelo, Virginia and San Antonio again, after which she and Tom retired back in San Angelo.

Throughout all of her travels and retirement, Kitty was a devoted wife, mother, caretaker, counselor and confidante and the foundation of her family. She was active in various Catholic Women’s groups and also enjoyed sewing and many other crafts, flower gardening, decorating the house for seasons and holidays, and reading. Later, her favorite hobby was becoming “Nana” and helping raise her three grandkids, Vince, Vicky and Cathy van Tuil, in Colorado. They will carry her love and positive influence with them forever.

Kitty is survived by her husband, Tom; their daughter and son-in-law, Mary and Steve Snyder; their son and daughter-in-law, Tom Nurre Jr. and Nana Laird; their daughter, Virginia; their three grandkids; and her brother, Claude Brown.

The family would like to extend a special thanks to the folks at Shannon Home Health and St. Gabriel’s Hospice, who took such great care of Kitty in her final days.

A Celebration of Life memorial will be held for Kitty on Friday, Nov. 22, at Johnson’s Funeral Home with visitation from 1-2 p.m. followed by a brief service at 2 p.m. and visitation until 3 p.m. In lieu of flowers, charitable donations can be made to the San Angelo Christians in Action organization.