It is cliché to say that someone lived a long, full life, just because they reached a certain milestone age before passing. Not every person of a certain age has had a full life, even if it has been long.
In the case of Kathryn Olliff, the full life she lived eclipsed the length, although at 98, she certainly had a long life as well. Diane Ackerman said, “I don’t want to get to the end of my life and find out that I lived just the length of it. I want to have lived the width of it as well.” Kathryn certainly lived the width of her life.
Kathryn was the epitome of a dignified southern lady. Always smartly dressed, hair in place, with a smile on her face and a twinkle in her eye, the look she gave people often implied that she was amused with them, or maybe that she knew something she wasn’t telling. Being the proper lady that she was, she ensured discretion, no matter the thoughts behind those twinkling eyes.
A long-time friend, Walt Strickland, summed Kathryn up this way, “A very gracious lady, and I repeat, a very gracious lady. Many will miss her, especially her wit.”
Her stations in life were varied—wife, mother, grandmother, friend, but also nurse, business owner, artisan, hospitality expert, and so much more. For many years she was part of the “Steel Magnolias” of the local Chamber of Commerce, where she greeted visitors to various Chamber events, and it is through this position that so many knew Kathryn in her later years.
She and her cohorts were lively, to say the least, and always good for a laugh. More importantly, they made everyone feel welcome and seen—rarely did someone walk into a Chamber event without feeling that they had been thoroughly welcomed. Former Chamber board member and chairman, Mark Anderson, stated that Kathryn always greeted him in a way that let him know she was genuinely happy to see him.
“I never saw her when I didn’t feel that she was glad I was there,” Anderson said.
As a child, Ann Nessmith Farmer was a friend of Kathryn’s daughter, Claire, and has this to say about her visits to the Olliff home, “I loved going to her home so much. She always made me feel so special!”
So many have echoed the same sentiments—Kathryn Olliff made people feel special, and that was certainly one of her most precious gifts to the world.
Kathryn created many works of art in her life, with many being the recipient of something she knitted, cross stitched, or crocheted, but the true art of Kathryn Olliff was how she impacted other lives. “A life well lived is the most exquisite work of art.” (Erwin McManus)
So, in the end, Kathryn’s true artistry was in the long and wide life she lived, and the impact she had on not only her family, but her friends, and the wider community of Statesboro.
To see Kathryn’s obituary, with more detail of her life, click here.
