Singleton and Related Genealogy Pages
A history of many families.
1943 - 2012 (68 years)| Name | Mary Katherine “Kitty” BRUNSON [1, 2, 3, 4, 5, 6] | |
| Birth | 26 Dec 1943 | Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina  [2, 7] |
| Gender | Female | |
| HIST | of Alcolu, South Carolina of Sumter, South Carolina Mary K. Herbert Mary Katherine "Kitty" Brunson Herbert, 68, wife of William G. Herbert, died Friday, Feb. 3, 2012, at her home. Born in Sumter, she was a daughter of the late I.W. Sr. and Eleanor Robinson Brunson. She graduated from Mayewood High School, attended Anderson College and graduated from the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev. Even after illness and a kidney transplant in 1998, she attended classes and due diligence so that she always did her job to the best of her ability. On Feb. 26, 1973, she went to work for Chief Magistrate O. Lang Hogon as his assistant. On June 1, 1979, she was appointed by the governor as the first female magistrate in South Carolina. After Judge Hogon's retirement, she was appointed chief magistrate. She served Sumter County as the chief magistrate until the late 1990's, while also serving as the city summary court judge, where she established Sumter's first "night court" sessions. She retired as a magistrate in April of 2002. At that time, she was honored for her service by the Sumter Bar Association as well as granted the Order of the Silver Crescent by Gov. Jim Hodges for her work in Sumter County. She spent many years on the bench in Sumter County, always acting in good faith. She loved the people of Sumter County and was dedicated to helping anyone who wanted to help themselves. She served as secretary / treasurer of Brunson Farms LLC for 25 years as well as bookkeeper of her husband's fire extinguisher business. She was a devoted wife, mother, "Meema," and public servant. She was the first female member of the Sumter Palmetto Rotary Club, a member of The Forum-A Women's Civic Awareness organization and the S.C. Magistrate's Association. Other honors include Social Justice Consortium-Woman of Excellence and YWCA Twin Honoree Tribute to Women in Industry. She was a member of Sumter First Baptist Church. Survivors include her husband of 45 years, "Herbert;" two daughters, Melissa Herbert Lynch and her husband, Neal, and their children, William Herbert Lynch and Katherine Lorena Lynch, all of Alcolu, and Rebecca Gayle Barwick and her husband, Trey, their son Benjamin Tillman Barwick IV and Trey's daughters, Alasyn and Bailea Barwick, all of Holdrege, Neb.; and her precious caregivers, Dorothy Ingram and Eleanora Thomas of Sumter. "Kitty" is also survived by her two sisters-in-law, Eleanor DeLoach and Faye Oakes of Grenada, Miss.; as well as a most special niece, Brenda Bankston and her husband, Ross, also of Grenada; three sisters; a brother; and several nieces and nephews. Private services will be held with the Rev. Charles Clanton and the Rev. Dr. Jeff Burns officiating. People grieve differently, we as a family will grieve deeply. Our wife and mother led a very public life. We are asking for our privacy at this time. The family would like to thank Dr. Pusadee Suchinda at Carolina Diabetes and Kidney Center for 15 years of stellar care; and Be Be Coker, RN and Brenda Young, CNA with Amedisys Hospice for total devotion to our entire family. In lieu of food and flowers, memorials may be sent to the following: Christian Charities of Sumter, 110 S Purdy St., Sumter, SC 29150; the MUSC Foundation Fund <0x2014> Transplant Center, 162 Ashley Ave., Charleston, SC 29425; or the Sumter High School PEEPS Fund, Attn: Rut Dingle, 2580 McCray's Mill Road, Sumter, SC 29154. Elmore-Cannon-Stephens Funeral Home and Crematorium, 515 Miller Road, Sumter, is in charge of the arrangements. Posted in Obituaries on Tuesday, February 7, 2012 State's 1st female magistrate will be remembered for wisdom, fairness For decades, Judge Mary K. "Kitty" Herbert served behind the bench with what was once described in The Item as "legendary whip and quip" as chief magistrate for Sumter County. As the state's first female magistrate, the Sumter native was known for her wisdom, whimsy and wisecracks, in addition to her balanced approach to her position. Herbert died at her home Friday at the age of 68. Born in Sumter, she was a Mayewood High School graduate as well as a graduate of the National Judicial College in Reno, Nev. She eventually returned to Sumter and began working for the late Chief Magistrate O. Lang Hogon in 1973. Six years later, she was tapped to serve as South Carolina's first female magistrate and was appointed chief magistrate after Hogon retired. Herbert served as chief magistrate until the late 1990s and as a magistrate until her retirement in 2002. She also helped establish Sumter's first "night court" while serving as a city summary court judge. "Kitty got things done," said Debbie Mathis, who was hired by Herbert as a clerk in 1981. "She had a firm hold on that office and ran it well. She was one of the best bosses I've ever had." Mathis, who now helps oversee the worthless check unit for the 3rd Judicial Circuit, worked for Herbert for four years. She said that while it was intimidating at times for people to be on the other side of the bench, Herbert was focused more on rehabilitation than punishment. "She got things done and she helped people. She didn't just try to put them in jail," said Mathis. "She was a great people person. Kitty could get right down with anybody that came in and talked with her." Herbert was the first judge 3rd Circuit Solicitor Ernest A. "Chip" Finney III appeared in front of after he graduated from law school. He went on to practice under her for 20 years. Finney described Herbert as a "pioneer" and "half judge, half mother." "She always had a special way of handling cases," he said. "In her court, she was good at giving counseling and had a really special way of dealing with people." Finney and Sen. Phil Leventis, D-Sumter, visited Herbert at her home last week to talk and reminisce. Leventis said she approached her position with "dignity and grace" and was an asset to the Sumter community and the greater South Carolina judicial system. "She gave quite a bit of herself to the summary court as an employee and as a judge. She did it with a firm hand, which is what you need in a job like that," Leventis said. He added that while the judge may have had a bit of a bite at times, she was the consummate professional, both in and out of the courtroom. Local attorney Wade Kolb, who served from 1977-1998 in the 3rd Circuit Solicitor's Office as an assistant solicitor and later as solicitor, said Herbert ran a very efficient court and has been missed since her retirement. "I can tell you she did a wonderful job," Kolb said. "She knew when to be tough on people and not show any mercy and she knew when someone was deserving of mercy." Sumter Mayor Joe McElveen first met Herbert when she worked for Hogon, and she began her work as chief magistrate when he served on Sumter City Council in the 1980s. While she had no legal background, McElveen, a local attorney, said Herbert handled herself as if she were a seasoned lawyer. "She did what a lot of magistrates had to do: Show good common sense, be very bright and understand legal concepts. She worked around the law very well even with no legal background," he said. "She strengthened the importance of the magistrate system. Magistrate court is so important, because for most people, it's the only contact they have with the judicial system. It's very important that magistrates - even though they may not be attorneys - have a fair, impartial demeanor, which she did." Herbert was quick to keep law enforcement personnel in line as well, said Sumter County Sheriff Anthony Dennis, who has served the department for 30 years. He started working at the Sheriff's Office when Herbert was a magistrate and worked closely with her as they each rose through the ranks. "She was a fair judge; she was well respected," he said. "She was always impartial when we took a case there, and that's what I respected so much about her." Instead of simply handing down sentences, Dennis said Herbert took a compassionate approach when possible. She realized people made mistakes, he said, and she'd do what she could to help them rather than hurt them. To put it simply, said Dennis, "she was a great person and a great lady." - Nick McCormac Posted in Local news, News on Wednesday, February 8, 2012 n [1, 2, 3, 8] | |
| Religion | she was a member of the First Baptist Church, Sumter, South Carolina [2] | |
| _UID | 75BEFA38403D4AE0914EBBE6A3EF7928BF56 | |
| Death | 3 Feb 2012 | at her home, (Sumter, Sumter County, South Carolina) |
| Burial | Y [2] | |
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| Person ID | I103630 | Singleton and Related Families |
| Last Modified | 8 Feb 2021 | |
| Father | Isaac William “Ike” BRUNSON, Sr., b. 1913, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 25 Aug 1987 (Age 74 years) | |
| Mother | Eleanor ROBOSSON, b. 25 Oct 1915, Sumter County, South Carolina d. 21 May 1974, Hampton Nursing Center (Age 58 years) | |
| _UID | 614FBA0F8EEB46C592358EB9934B4BA8DC69 | |
| _UID | 614FBA0F8EEB46C592358EB9934B4BA8DC69 | |
| Family ID | F71730 | Group Sheet | Family Chart |
| Family | William G. HERBERT | |||||
| Marriage | 1966 [2] | |||||
| _UID | 97F48CA4A7AD4D5BB76686BCBAF65D1D4023 | |||||
| _UID | 97F48CA4A7AD4D5BB76686BCBAF65D1D4023 | |||||
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| Family ID | F71733 | Group Sheet | Family Chart | ||||
| Last Modified | 8 Feb 2012 | |||||
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