Mary Kathryn (Abbott) Pitman, 72, the namesake of Mary’s Chickens and Mary’s Turkeys, died on April 5, 2023.
Pitman was born February 16, 1951, to James Edward Abbott and Mary Imogene Staires in Hanford, California. After graduating from Hanford High in 1969, she went on to earn a BA in early childhood education at California Polytechnic State University, San Luis Obispo.
She was married almost 50 years to Richard Pitman, founder of Pitman Family Farms. On their 25th wedding anniversary, the family brand was named after her. She worked to promote the business, a family-owned poultry company founded in 1954 and based in Sanger, California. It produces specialty organic and free-range chicken, turkey, duck and geese.
Pitman was preceded in death by her father; stepfather, William Boren; one brother, Edward; and several aunts and uncles.
She is survived by her mother, Mary; husband, Richard; three sons, David, Mark and Benjamin, and their wives; 10 grandchildren; one sister, Lorri; one aunt, Tina; and many extended family members.
Services were held April 17, with burial at the Arbor Vitae Cemetery in Madera, California. Donations may be made to Hinds Hospice, 2490 West Shaw Avenue, Suite 101, Fresno CA 93711.
