Obituary - Katherine Peregoy Burch

Katherine “Kay” Peregoy Burch, 100, of Henrico, passed away April 11, 2022. Katherine Estella Peregoy was born November 28, 1921, in Baltimore, MD, to William Henry and Mary Marguerite (Ziegenhein) Peregoy. She was predeceased by her husband of almost 60 years, John Thomas Burch, Sr. in March of 2000. She had three sisters: Althea Maybelle, ldaMay Ethel (deceased), and Betty Jean. She is survived by son, William Henry Burch; and two grandsons, Thomas and wife Rowena, and Richard and wife Patricia. Katherine has great grandchildren, Alena, Alexander, Lauren and Daniel. She was orphaned, along with her three younger sisters, at a young age. As customary at the time, they were placed with a farm family to work. Being a very bright child, she received a scholarship to St. Paul's School for Girls, an Episcopal boarding school located in the Green Spring Valley of Maryland which she attended from 1936-1939. She graduated from Western High School in Baltimore in 1940. She met her husband Tom through a friend, and they were married October 10, 1940 in Towson, MD. Katherine worked a short while for the Social Security Administration in Baltimore and 6½ years for the Internal Revenue Service in Richmond. She also acted as secretary for her husband's tax preparation business after he retired from the Government. She was secretary to Mrs. John G. Pollard, wife of a former Governor, for 9 years. She was very well read and knowledgeable in many subjects, including the Great Books of Western Civilization. She loved art and was an amateur painter as well as a member of the Virginia Museum of Fine Arts. She was President of the influential Monument Avenue Crest Garden Cub in Richmond, President of the Richmond Area Women's Democratic Club, Member of the Henrico County Democratic Committee, and Delegate to the State Democratic Conventions in 1964 and 1966. She was also National Delegate to the Democratic National Convention in 1964 where she attended a special breakfast with President Lyndon Johnson. She's listed in the early editions of "Who's Who in American Politics." A commemoration of Katherine’s life will be held 10:00 a.m. Saturday, April 23, 2022, in Westhampton Memorial Park.