Great-Grandma at her 103rd birthday party.

The gardens in heaven have a new angel tending them today. The matriarch of the Kerby family Great-Grandma Kerby passed away early in the morning on Monday, January 21st, just about a month after her 103rd birthday.

One of my earliest memories of Great-Grandma was 26 years ago when Kim and I were dating and in school at Hillsborough High School. She lived just a few blocks away from the school, and so after classes when we had a few hours before band practice, Kim and I would walk over and Great-Grandma Kerby would cook us spaghetti and meatballs. I had no idea that she would still be an important part of my life all these years later.

Her life story spanned over 100 years: from picking cotton in the fields of Mayo, FL and helping raise her younger siblings during the Great Depression, to working in real estate, as an administrative assistant at Chamberlain High and raising her own family here in Tampa. She led a full life and was always kind, generous and full of wit.

A special bond with her great-grandmother.

One of her favorite things to do was to spend time in the garden, which I know had an influence on the existence of Kerby's Nursery. Until just a few years ago, she could be found puttering in her backyard making cuttings of this and that. The driveway at her house was always lined with the plants she grew from cuttings.

The thing I will miss the most is seeing the joy that the great-grandkids brought her. Even in her last days, when it wasn't always clear that she knew who everyone was, the voices from the great-grandchildren would cause her to perk up. You could tell that they had a very special place in her heart.

We will miss her dearly, but count ourselves lucky that we got an extraordinary number of years with her. We know that her spirit will live on in our hearts and in our gardens.

Store Hours
Monday - Saturday,  9am - 5pm
Sunday,  11am - 4pm