BLOOMINGTON, Minn. — Large photo boards took up much of the counter space on the Catherine Puckett’s kitchen island Friday morning.

“We’ve spent a lot of time just reminiscing,” Catherine said, as she stood shoulder to shoulder with her brother, Kirby Puckett Jr. “We’ve been remembering the good times.”

After a few minutes sharing fond memories, it’s clear Catherine and Kirby Jr. remember a lot of good times.

“This is my favorite photo of all time,” Kirby Jr. said, pointing to a photo of the family in their living room during an annual Christmas photo shoot. “It’s the whole family. I really like that one. We’re matching, Mom and Dad are matching, so it’s nice.” 

The siblings spoke to KARE11 for the first time since losing their mother, Tonya Puckett-Miller earlier this month after a 20-month battle with glioblastoma, an aggressive form of brain cancer. 

“When she first found out, it was shocking because she wasn’t a sick person. She had a headache,” Catherine said.

Despite the difficulty she faced through her final months, the Pucketts say they leaned on a strong support network provided by family, and were comforted by their mother’s steadfast faith.

“Even before she got sick she would tell me, ‘Get right with God because in the end, I know where I’m going because I want you and Catherine to be here with me,'” Kirby Jr. said. “That gave us peace going through this, knowing her faith was so strong and she was never scared throughout her whole 20-month battle. Even when she was battling, she was still giving. I remember, I came over one night, and it was a couple days after her surgery and they had gotten some food and there wasn’t enough for everybody and my mom’s like, ‘Here, take my plate.’ I’m like, ‘No, Mom, but thank you.’ It just shows that even when she’s at her lowest point, she’s always giving.”

They say the same was true throughout their mother’s life. Despite their parents’ divorce in the 2000s, they say their family remained close and their mother continued to build on her legacy of giving. After she and Kirby started the Puckett Scholarship in 1994 to provide more opportunities for students of color, Tonya remained committed to the effort and also went on to raise millions for local nonprofits like Safe Families for Children and Children’s HeartLink. 

Through it all, the Pucketts say their mom never lost sight of her priorities.

“It was always family,” Catherine said. 

“Family, God and just doing the right thing,” Kirby Jr. said. “Just be nice to people, always. Be kind and be generous.” 

And though their parents are now both gone far too soon, that giving spirit will live on.

“The Puckett Scholars is something near and dear to our heart, it’s something the Twins help us with, sending people through college through the U of M, so we want to continue on that legacy,” Kirby Jr. said.

“We’ve had so many people reach out and just share stories of our mom and tell us stories of our dad, and to say how much they both have helped,” Catherine said. “We want to be able to carry that on. We really want to make them proud and do as much as possible for the community and continue their legacy.”

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