Kay Brandt

The world has been blessed by the presence of Kay “Katy” Marie Brandt, who died December 20, 2021 at St. Thomas Midtown hospital in Nashville, Tennessee.

Katy was born June 28,1969 in Great Falls, Montana to Dale Allen Brandt and his wife, the former Ellene Frances Ishmael.  She was the long awaited youngest of 3, born 11 years after her sister Coleen. Always petite, this tiny girl at the age of 2 wore a t-shirt that said: “I’m the Boss,” and those who have known her more recently agree that this quality never changed.  Organized and directive, she lived her life fully and expected others to do the same.

With her father in the grain business and her mother a vocal musician, Katy attended school in Great Falls, Montana, Portland, Oregon, and Aurora, Colorado, graduating from Smokey Hill High School in 1987, where she was active in the theater program.  In college, she moved to the business side of theater, working for the Annenberg Center of the University of Pennsylvania, while studying for her Bachelor of Arts with a major in Communications, graduating from Penn in 1991.  She began her life in Nashville in 1992, where she worked for the Nashville Opera before pursuing her MBA at Vanderbilt’s Owen Graduate School of Management, graduating in 1995.

Katy continued her business career in Nashville as Company Manager for the Nashville Opera, then in fund-raising for the McPherson Consulting Group until going to work at Vanderbilt University.  She served as Associate Dean for Administration for Vanderbilt’s Engineering School, then Director of Enrollment Management Operations for the Provost’s office, before to returning to Owen as Executive Director. Certified as a Holistic Coach by the Radiant Health Institute, Katy owned and operated the Lotus Blooming Yoga Center in Bellevue for 7 years, until returning to the non-profit world as Director of Finance for Project Return.  She was serving as the Chief Administrative Officer for Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage Center at the time of her passing.

Katy and her daughter Lorelei shared a love of animals with a household of pets and volunteer work at the Nashville Zoo.  Her 4-H project as a young girl in “cake baking and decorating” served her well during the Covid pandemic shut-down.  Katy was always available for a good board or trivia game, outdoor activities, especially kayaking, or attending theater and movies with friends. She enjoyed travel, both in the United States and in Europe, China, Australia, and the Caribbean, but always looked forward to returning to her beloved Glacier Park and ranches of her childhood in Montana.

Katy’s journey ended with heart failure after a valiant fight against breast cancer.  We will miss her energy, her friendship and her love.  It was a blessing to share our lives together with her.

Katy is survived by her daughter, Lorelei Jobe of Nashville, Tennessee, her mother, Ellene Brandt and sister Coleen Painter (Mark) of Royersford, Pennsylvania, brother Chris Brandt of Lakewood, Colorado, her companion, Joel Coady of Franklin, Tennessee, 4 nephews as well as aunts, uncles and cousins. She was preceded in death by her father.

Friends and family will gather for a Memorial Service at 10 a.m. on Monday, January 3, 2022 at the Hermitage Church, Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, 4580 Rachel Lane, Hermitage, Tennessee 37076, The Rev. Carol Cavin-Dillon, officiating. Friends may call on the family at the Hermitage Church prior to the service. Masks are required.

In lieu of flowers, memorial offerings may be given in Katy’s name to Andrew Jackson’s Hermitage, https://thehermitage.com, or the Nashville Zoo, https: //nashvillezoo.org