Katie Herbkersman

February 2026 Issue

by Elizabeth Skenes Millen
Photos provided by Scarlett Herbkersman

Columbia, SC, resident Catherine Herbkersman goes by Katie, which fits her personality, stature and spunk like a glove. She is a tiny tornado with a huge smile and a fun-loving heart. In her 92 years, she has made an indelible impact on people both far and wide. And like a tornado, Katie’s life has left a path that will be forever imprinted in the hearts of her family, friends, church, community and the world. This tiny tornado’s path is paved with faith, family, fun, and a whole lot of love.

Katie is known for many things but probably her biggest claim to fame is her seven boys, collectively called the Herks. I’m sure you’ve heard of a Herbkersman or two, as Bill Herbkersman is the Beaufort County District 118 State Representative, Tom lived in the Lowcountry for years before he passed away, and her oldest, Jim, is an actor in Hollywood known for his many roles, especially in the popular horror films Halloween and Halloween Kills. All the boys went to the University of South Carolina, all paid their way through school, all joined the same fraternity—Lambda Chi Alpha, all have become successful, good people, but most importantly, all have made their mama proud.

Katie absolutely loved having a big family and raising the boys with her husband, Don Herbkersman. As a self-proclaimed Tom-boy who loved to climb trees, play football, and go camping, she was the perfect boy mom. “People would say, ‘I’m so sad for Katie having all those boys and not one girl.’ I loved it! It was a non-stop circus, and we had a lot of fun. But I was strict.”

In reminiscing, it was unmistakable that Katie is the real deal. She basked in her role as a wife and mother and cherished everything that came with it—all the sports, cooking, laundry, homework, and activities. She was a master at keeping them all clothed, fed, and accounted for. She found joy in the chaos and thrived on the camaraderie the family shared with each other and all their friends. The Herks are the kind of family television shows in the ’70s were modeled after.

Now, right when you think you can envision the hectic schedule that surely filled Katie’s every waking moment, add 27 foster newborns coming and going over the years to the mix. All girls except for three boys. “The more the merrier! And the boys always helped. Marty was 4 when we started taking in babies,” Katie smiled, and I could tell she misses those days terribly. Being a mom and caretaker is her superpower. Her God-given gift is shepherding people, and she’s good at it.

“I delights in caring for people—babies, children, elderly. I love taking care of sick people. I took care of my husband when he got sick. My fourth son, Tom, got cancer, and I took care of him. It was a privilege. He passed in 2011. He’s the second son we lost. Bern, our sixth, was killed in an automobile accident in 1988 when he was 23 years old.” Losing these three from her flock are the hardest things she’s ever been through. “I got through it with humor. Humor isn’t to hurt, it’s to lighten. You have to see the good. And my faith was the strongest point,” Katie said.

In all of the Herk daily hubbub, Katie never lost herself. She did many things outside the home that were important to her. She and her friend, Mary Ellen O’Leary started the Irish Children’s Summer Program in 1983. They would bring children from Belfast, Ireland, for six weeks during the summer to help nurture peace between Catholics and Protestants and teach them to get along. The program lasted 25 years and ultimately brought more than 1000 children to Columbia to attend the camp. She has been to Ireland 26 times and was given an award by the City of Belfast for helping bring peace to Northern Ireland. Katie and Mary Ellen’s program was so successful, five other Southern cities followed suit, using their program as the blueprint. Many church goers, both Protestants and Catholics, got involved and volunteered for this dynamic program. Katie became great friends with an Episcopalian named Faxie Watt, and the two of them were dubbed, “The Troubles!”

In addition to her summer program, Katie was part of the St. Joseph’s Choir, which is well-known, even internationally. In 1990, the choir went on a nine country European tour to sing at various places and sightsee at others. While visiting The Vatican in Rome, of course Katie had the opportunity to high-five St. John Paul, II. This is the kind of thing that comes naturally to tiny tornados; they get a high-five from the Pope. In her work with the church, she also served as President of the Women’s Guild and was honored as Catholic Woman of the Year.

Now, at 92, if she could do it all again, she would ask, “when can I start?” Since she has downsized, the big, Sunday, family dinners aren’t as frequent, but all her children live nearby, and she’s teaching the next generation to make Shepherd’s pie, chicken and rice, and her coveted cheesecake. With all her energy, she still goes to the University (she lives right by it) where she’s known by many of the students as Grandma, and she attends mass with them and encourages everyone. Her mantra is still “the more the merrier, and let’s have fun!
I don’t climb trees anymore,
but I still dance.”

Katie, when life asked you to dance, you said “yes” and never stopped.

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Up Close:

• Sons: Jim, Bill, Joe, Tom, Tim, Bern and Marty.

• If she had a girl, she wanted to name her Molly or Bridget

• The boys don’t know this, but their mother had a secret way of knowing when they got home.

• When the boys reached high school and college age, Katie would wash, boil, starch and iron their cotton button-down shirts every week—that’s 35 shirts! She would listen to “old-timey” music like Frank Sinatra on WXRY FM

• The Herks loved to camp and went often—all 9 of them and some tag-alongs—with a 13-ft camper and lots of tents.

• Every time she would be expecting another child, ladies would sigh, “Again?!” Katie would respond, “Isn’t it wonderful?”