The Chick-fil-A family and others mourn the death of Jeannette Cathy, the wife of the late Truett Cathy.
The 92-year-old Mrs. Cathy was surrounded by her family at a hospital in Atlanta when she died on Wednesday.
Mr. Cathy died in September, just 11 months ago at the age of 93.
Samuel Truett Cathy founded the popular American restaurant in 1967. He owned another restaurant before that, the Dwarf Grill. He created his famous chicken sandwich at the grill.
In a statement obtained from Dan T. Cathy, the founders’ son and the chairman and CEO of the company, Cathy said, “Our mother has always been the spiritual nucleus and encourager of our family.” He continued, “I can’t remember a day when she was not in full support of Dad in his work and vision for the Chick-fil-A business.”
Jeannette Cathy was born in 1922 to the McNeil family. She attended New Orleans Baptist Theological Seminary and married Truett Cathy in 1948. Mrs. Cathy had two sons Dan and Donald Cathy, and a daughter, Trudy Cathy White. She had 12 grandchildren, and 20 great-grandchildren.
The wife of the Chick-fil-A founder was married to him for 65 years before his death in 2014.
The Cathys, devout Christians, closed their Chick-fil-A restaurants on Sunday.
The couple were respected for their love for the employees that worked at their restaurant. A child-care facility named the Jeannette Cathy Children’s Center is located at the Atlanta corporate office complex. The facility was opened in 2001.
In 2003, the Cathys received the Norman Vincent Peale and Ruth Stafford Peale Humanitarian Award in honor of the positive difference they had made to the quality of life in society.
In lieu of flowers, the Cathy family has asked that donations be made to Winshape Foundation, 5200 Buffington Road, Atlanta. Details about her life’s celebration service are being planned and will be released on the company’s Chick-fil-A.com website.
Lana Shadwick is a contributing writer and legal analyst for Breitbart Texas. Follow her on Twitter @LanaShadwick2