Mr. Arthur Julian Kay, 84, husband of the late Christine M. Kay, formerly of Guilford, Va., and Okeechobee, Fla., passed away on Monday, Sept. 24, 2018, at his daughter’s home in Pungoteague.
Born Sept. 13, 1934, in Bay Head, N.J., he was the son of the late Arthur F. Kay and Katherine Josephine Loveland Kay. He graduated from Point Pleasant Beach High School and attended Monmouth College. After serving his country in the U.S. Army, stationed in Germany in a spearhead armored tank division, Mr. Kay returned home and went to work with the New York and Long Branch Railroad as a ticket agent. In 1960, he began working for the Pennsylvania Railroad as a fireman, earned his way to locomotive engineer, retired in 1997, and remained a member of the Brotherhood of Locomotive Engineers.
He was a die-hard New York Rangers hockey fan and never missed seeing a game. He celebrated his Scottish heritage in the Davidson Clan attending Highland Games and other Scottish festivals and genealogy events. Throughout his life, Scottish libations were greatly enjoyed, over which many interesting and colorful conversations were shared with those he loved. These times, and many others, will be forever missed but truly treasured.
Survivors include his daughter, Julia Ann Kay and wife, Julie Riley, of Pungoteague; son, Roy Cole and wife, Kimberly, of Carrollton, Texas; grandchildren, Matthew Johnson and Curtis Johnson, of Guilford, Rebecca E. Potts and husband, Damon, and Brian Casey Cole and wife, Angel, all of Plano, Texas; two great-grandchildren, Devon James Potts and Adyline E. Potts; his dear friend and “brother,” Arnold Kurnin, of New Jersey; and his cat, Izzie, around whom the world revolved. In addition to his wife and parents, he was predeceased by a daughter, Ellen Taylor DeMartino, his “Little Ellie.”
A graveside funeral service will be conducted at the Parksley Cemetery on Friday, Sept. 28, 2018, at 1 p.m.
In lieu of flowers, memorial donations may be made to Riverside Shore Hospice, P.O. Box 616, Onley, VA 23418, or to the SPCA, P.O. Box 164, Onley, VA 23418.
Memory tributes may be shared with the family at www.williamsfuneralhomes.com
Arrangements were made by the Williams-Parksley Funeral Home.
