Friend remembers Kat Belk Cook’s “zest for life,” volunteering in Charlotte
Katherine “Kat” Roddey Whitner McKay Belk Cook, the prominent Charlotte philanthropist, community volunteer and matriarch of the Belk family, died on Aug. 30. She was 98.
Belk’s impact on Charlotte was marked by charitable donations to organizations and causes like arts and education, and the relationships she built with people throughout her career.
“We certainly lost a wonderful member of this community,” said Barrett Ranson Shannonhouse, executive director of Wing Haven. “She was an adviser, an encourager, and a friend to many.”
Ranson Shannonhouse said Belk was involved with Wing Haven, a garden and bird sanctuary, since the 1970s. She formed a close friendship with Eddie and Elizabeth Clarkson, who created Wing Haven.
“She became a founding member of the Wing Haven Foundation in the early 1970s and from there, she went on to serve on our board from 1971 to 1988,” Ranson Shannonhouse said. “And was the president of the board from ‘86 to ‘87.”
Belk was more than an advocate for the preservation of the property, Ranson Shannonhouse said.
“She was a decades-long volunteer,” Ranson Shannonhouse said. “She wanted others to benefit from it as well, so she was committed to ensuring that this place was here and sharing it with the broader community.”
Born in Charlotte, Belk married Thomas M. “Tom” Belk, in 1953. The couple remained married until his death in 1997 at 71-years-old.
She is survived by four children — a daughter and three sons — 16 grandchildren, and 21 great-grandchildren.
She was also preceded in death by her second husband, James Fielder Cook.
Belk’s career included working as a candy striper at Charlotte Memorial Hospital as a teenager, an elementary school teacher after graduating from Smith College, and later a board member of the The Belk Foundation.
She was a leader at Myers Park Presbyterian Church, which father helped found, working as, among other things, an elder, deacon, and Sunday school teacher.
She also volunteered throughout the city, including at Roof Above, a supportive housing program for those facing homelessness in recent years. She volunteered at the Mint Museum, where she took classes, served on the board of trustees, and advocated for a second location uptown.
But wherever Belk spent her time, she did so with a “bright smile and warm enthusiasm,” Ranson Shannonhouse said.
Aside from thinking of Belk for her work with Wing Haven, Ranson Shannonhouse said she also remembers her as a friend.
One fond memory she has of Belk, she said, was at a fall fundraiser the organization held in recent years. Belk was in attendance with her partner, Rufus Dalton.
The event was casual, Ranson Shannonhouse said, and involved a dinner that took place throughout the garden. The dessert portion was served in the main garden and involved gourmet s’mores, she said.
“As she was leaving that evening, she said, ‘Great job, gal. Don’t change a thing with this event — it was perfect. And the s’mores were so much fun,’” Ranson Shannonhouse said. “She just had a real zest for life, and I had the pleasure of learning a lot from her.”
Correction: An earlier version of this story incorrectly reported the number of Mrs. Belk’s children.
This story was originally published September 5, 2024 at 5:00 AM.
