Katherine Gayle Hughes

Katherine Gayle Honeycutt Hughes, 82, of McCalla, Alabama, was born on February 22, 1944, in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Her earthly journey ended and she entered heaven on April 2, 2026. Katherine was faithfully married to Jerry for 60 years until he entered eternity in October 2025. She was a loving mother to son Jeffrey Todd Hughes, and grandmother to Alexandra (Allie) and Micah Hughes, as well as granddaughter-in-love Makenna Hughes.

Katherine grew up in Bellwood, a tiny but once vibrant community in Natchitoches Parish, Louisiana. She graduated from Provencal High School in 1962. She attended and graduated from Northwestern State University in Natchitoches, with a Bachelor’s Degree in Elementary Education. She taught at Trinity Heights Christian Academy and in the Caddo Parish School System. Later she transitioned and spent most of her career as an adoption case worker for the State of Louisiana and retired from there in the early 2000s. She loved this part of her career as she was able to assist families in becoming adoptive parents. You can imagine her joy when her two precious grandchildren, Allie and Micah, were adopted from Ukraine in 2003.

In her early years, Katherine attended Bellwood Baptist Church and was baptized and married there. After marrying Jerry in May 1965, they moved to Shreveport and attended Emmanuel Baptist Church for several years before moving to First Baptist Church of Blanchard. While at FBC Blanchard, she taught a young couples Sunday School class and served on various committees. In 2009, she and Jerry moved to McCalla, Alabama, to live closer to Jeffrey and their precious grandchildren. They attended Canaan Baptist Church for many years before joining Grace Life Baptist Church in McCalla.

Katherine loved Jesus and wanted everyone to know it. She kept her sense of humor to the end had her caregivers laughing until just a few days before she died. She was the “hostess with the mostess” as Jeffrey called her. She developed a love for cooking at a young age and continued cooking until her health forced her to stop. She was taught to cook well by her mother Esther Honeycutt and Aunt Vesta O’Bannon. She was famous for her chocolate pies and Jerry’s favorite “sock it to me” cake. If you were at her house for any length of time she wanted to feed you, even when she could not cook anymore. She wanted everyone to be well fed in her presence. She loved taking care of people. This was her love language.

Katherine was preceded in death by her parents, Zennie and Esther Honeycutt of Bellwood, Louisiana, one infant brother, Noah Honeycutt, and one special niece, Lori O’Bannon Savell of Bellwood, Louisiana.

She is survived by son, Jeffrey Todd Hughes; grandson Micah Todd Hughes and wife Makenna Kitchens Hughes; granddaughter Alexandra Ray Hughes and her fiancé Tim Harvey; special brother-in-love Jimmy Hughes and sister-in-love Kathy Hughes; and numerous cousins, nephews, nieces, and friends.

Special thanks to her compassionate and loving caregivers who have become like family as they cared for both Jerry and Katherine: Debbie Myrick and Tammy Dagnan. Also, special thanks to the staff of ExpectCare Hospice who took great care of her until her last breath.

A Visitation will be held on Monday, April 6th from 5:00-6:00 p.m. and Memorial Service at 6:00 p.m. at Grace Life Baptist Church, 5911 Old Tuscaloosa Hwy., McCalla, AL 35111.

A Louisiana Visitation be held on Wednesday, April 8th from 10:00 a.m. - 10:30 a.m. with a Memorial Service to follow at 10:30 a.m. at Rose Park Baptist Church, 5560 Buncombe Road, Shreveport, Louisiana, 71129. A Graveside Service will be held on the same day at 2:30 p.m. at Bellwood Cemetery in Bellwood, Louisiana. Flowers are being handled by Rose-Neath Flower Shop, 318-687-2200. To give donations in Katherine’s memory, please send to Samaritan’s Purse or Grace Life Baptist Missions (address above).