Joyce A. Kay

Beloved Wife, Mother, And Grandmother

Joyce A. Kay, 76, beloved wife of Donald E. Kay of Guilford, and previously of Newtown, died Wednesday, June 22. She was born October 10, 1934, in Niagara Falls, N. Y., the daughter of Dorothy (Leuppie) and Wilmer Parker.

Her devoted husband of 53 years; eight children, including Susan L. (Kay) Vander Have, and her husband Todd, of Sandy Hook; a brother; and several other relatives survive Mrs Kay. She was predeceased by her parents, as well as two brothers.

Mrs Kay was a nurse at St Francis Hospital in Miami Beach for a short time and then at Memorial Hospital in Niagara Falls until 1958. She moved with her husband to West Hartford in 1961, and lived in Newtown from 1968 through 1990, where she raised her eight children. She worked at the Fairfield Hills State Hospital.

In 1991, the Kays moved to Virginia. Mrs Kay was a volunteer for Catholic Charities for five years and worked at soup kitchens in Fredericksburg. Upon returning to Connecticut in 2000 and until her sickness, she was a daily communicant at St George Roman Catholic Church in Guilford, where she was a member of a Bible study group, worked at the annual church carnival, volunteered for Lily Malloy’s “Little Miracles,” and helped to collect goods and raise funds for the unborn and for needy mothers and children in the New Haven area.

She freely gave to many worthwhile charities and was an unwavering advocate of conservative causes, including pro-life and pro-family.

The family is grateful to hospice care provider Vitas Healthcare, including Terri, Tammy, Wes, Michelle, Cindy, Dana and numerous other caregivers; Father Thomas Lynch of St James Roman Catholic Church; Father Lawrence Symolon of Holy Angels Church; Father Christopher Ford of St Mary’s; Father James Shanley of St George; Father Ignacio Ortigas of St Rose of Lima; Father Thomas Confer; her many friends; and all who loved and cared for Mrs Kay before and during her illness. She will be greatly missed, but never forgotten, by those who knew her.

Friends and family may call at Honan Funeral Home, 58 Main Street, Newtown, from 5 to 8 pm, Friday, June 24. A Mass of Christian Burial will be celebrated at St Rose of Lima Roman Catholic Church, at 9:30 am, Saturday, June 25. Interment will follow in St Rose Cemetery.

In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Lily Malloy for “Little Miracles” c/o St Margaret’s Church, 39 Academy Street, Madison CT 06443, or to Connecticut Right to Life Corporation, 54 Long Meadow Drive, Wolcott CT 06716.

The Newtown Bee        June 24, 2011