Vivian “Kitty” Kelly Lott Sparta of Franklin passed away peacefully on July 12, 2024. She was 96.
Until her last day, she was a beloved and devoted matriarch as well as a fiercely loyal friend whom many describe as the kindest, sweetest person they have ever known.
Kitty was born in Hamburg on Nov. 8, 1927, to Sarah Sanders Kelly and Andrew Kelly. She and her fraternal twin sister and lifelong best friend, Ginny, were the youngest of six: five girls and a boy.
From the start, the statuesque, flame-haired Kitty was an absolute beauty, attracting her share of suitors. She attended Hamburg schools, where she was an accomplished athlete, excelling on both the cheerleading squad and the softball team.
After high school, Kitty married Frank Lott. She was a fabulous homemaker and mother to Frank Jr., Mary and Linda.
Kitty took great pride in her home, which was always immaculate and welcoming. She and Frank had many drop-in guests, and she baked every Monday and Thursday in anticipation of visits.
Kitty made holidays and birthdays particularly special. Every Thanksgiving featured four or five of her delectable pies; she made classics, such as apple and pumpkin, as well as lemon meringue (her daughter Linda’s favorite).
A talented artist, Kitty threw annual Christmas parties where her guests would marvel at the craftsmanship of her snowman and Santa cookies.
In all of her events, Kitty kept décor and presentation top of mind, always creating a fun, festive and tasteful environment for her guests.
Kitty was also defined by her strength and resilience. In the wake of the tragic deaths of her son, Frank Jr., in 1980, and husband, Frank, in 1982, she modeled fortitude to her daughters, Mary and Linda, and dear daughter-in-law, Evie.
In 1995, she again needed to rely on this strength when her oldest grandchild, Sean, was killed in a car accident.
Kitty strongly believed that life was God’s gift and that, although it was difficult at times, we all were obligated to proceed and try to enjoy that gift. In those hard times, she surrounded herself with her siblings, children, grandchildren, and her many nieces, nephews and friends.
Always an optimist, Kitty also believed that “when a door closes, a window opens.” And that is precisely what happened to her in 1984. Kitty was working as a waitress at Metzger’s snack bar when one of those high school suitors, the very handsome Jim Sparta (who had also lost a spouse), walked in the door and asked her out.
She overcame her initial hesitation and said yes. And the rest was history – an absolutely beautiful chapter in Kitty’s life, which was made official when they wed in 1989.
Kitty and Jim had so much fun together. Their life was very full and included a cross-country trip, dinners with other couples, and summers with her children and grandchildren on Long Beach Island.
Both were devoted Mets fans, who watched their team almost every day, even during “rebuilding” years.
They were also members of a Vernon leisure club for seniors; they particularly loved hopping on a bus with their friends on outings to Atlantic City.
In her life with Jim, Kitty continued to act as the consummate hostess and added “pool parties” to her repertoire. Each of her grandchildren spent hundreds of summer days over their lives at “Gram and Jim’s” house. There was no better summer day for them than splashing in the pool with their cousins; playing corn hole, badminton or horseshoes in the backyard; and working up an appetite sated by Gram and Jim’s wonderful food.
Jim was in charge of the grill and his hamburgers, hot dogs and more exotic meats, such as the occasional venison, were a hit. Gram was in charge of everything else, providing a true “farm to table” experience since the ingredients for salads often came from her garden. Unsurprisingly given Kitty’s Irish heritage, her potato salad was unmatched. She also made a mean fruited jello dessert.
There was never a more dedicated mother, grandmother and great-grandmother than Kitty. Her daughters kept her extremely busy especially in the ’80s and ’90s with sewing, painting, wallpapering and babysitting their kids.
She never missed dance recitals, concerts, sports games (football, soccer, basketball, field hockey, baseball), plays or graduations (from a pre-school completion to an MBA).
She could not have been more supportive and had a lovely tradition with her grandkids of taking them out for lunch on report card day and giving them a dollar for every A or B.
Kitty loved being part of various communities and always made many dear friends. When she was raising her kids, she was an active PTA member, Girl Scout troop leader and parishioner of the Hamburg Presbyterian Church.
Later, she and Jim loved stopping by VFW Post 8441 where they’d always run into people they knew and where she was proud to be a Ladies Auxiliary member.
She remained athletic throughout her life and was part of a senior citizen line dancing troop that performed at nursing homes throughout northern New Jersey as well as at the Sussex County Farm and Horse Show. She was also a member of the Super Sexy Seniors Bowling League until age 88.
Kitty was predeceased by her parents as well as her siblings, Marjorie Osborne, Timothy Kelly, Mary Hartley, Geraldine Dolsay and Virginia Bross. She was also predeceased by her spouses, Frank Lott and James Sparta; her son, Frank Lott Jr.; her grandson Sean Lott; and her son-in-law Richard Sorensen.
She is survived by her daughters, Mary Sorensen and Linda (Keith) Schoonover; daughter-in-law, Evelyn Lott; grandchildren, David Lott (Kamila), Katherine Sorensen (Patrick Hebert), Parry Sorensen (Lydia), Jason Schoonover (Danielle), Frank Schoonover (Brittany) and Kimberly Brown (Andrew); and great-grandchildren, Emily and Lily Lott, Teddy, Charlotte and Anders Sorensen, Isaac, Abram, Estelle, Iris and Daisy Schoonover, Chloe Schoonover, and (arriving in October) Savannah Paige Brown.