Katherine M. Hoey

Following her recent fight with cancer, Kay Hoey died peacefully at the age of 81 on Tuesday, September 4, in the company of loved ones in her daughter's Marietta home.
Kay was born to Catherine and Benjamin Hoey and raised in Glens Falls, New York, where she attended St. Mary's High School. She had a passion for healthcare and proudly graduated from SUNY with a Bachelor of Science in Nursing, a degree which few nurses in the 1950s had earned. She practiced nursing for many years and in several states, finally retiring from her position at Brian Center in Austell, Georgia after a 46-year career.
Helping others was something Kay always strove to do; not only did she care for thousands of patients in her role as nurse, she used her medical education and training in all aspects of her life. She was constantly sought out by friends and family for information and advice about medical conditions and care as well as for her skills in first aid. She was also an enthusiastic teacher, whether it be how to play bridge, how to knit, understanding the calls in a football game (especially if it involved Notre Dame or the Patriots!), how to work a crossword puzzle or how to best guess the answers on Jeopardy.
Kay was a dedicated mother, teaching her children by example that caring for each other was a family priority. She worked hard to support her family and inspired her children to obtain good educations and become respectable, loving and successful adults (which, of course, proved hard work at times!). Her conversations were always direct; there was never any ambiguity in what she said. She might call herself witty, but others knew her to be both wise and instructive in her own charming way.
In her free time Kay loved, among other things, to play bridge, read, work crossword puzzles and cook. In bridge she was the consummate strategist. She could make three no-trump easier than most, and if she couldn't win the bid she would force her opponent's bid higher and risk going down rather than losing the rubber. However, her analytical skills truly shone when digesting the New York Times best sellers. Her volumes were full of hand written notes made, no doubt, to record her insights for the benefit of the less gifted. She could quickly commandeer a book club meeting if the attendees had not done an acceptable job of dissecting a book and preparing to discuss the details.
Kay's tastes in foods and cooking skills were sophisticated, and through them she inspired her children to eat, drink and cook well. Her culinary champions included the likes of Graham Kerr, Julia Child and Jacques Pépin. She was well known for her apple pies, liver paté, oyster stew and stuffing. Special friends eagerly awaited birthdays and Christmas, occasions when Kay might make gifts of pans of her delectable yeast rolls. Her affinity for butter is truly a family legend that will undoubtedly endure for generations.
What Kay most aspired to teach was to laugh, appreciate, respect, succeed and leave the world a little better than you found it. She was very successful at that, and will be sorely missed by family and friends.
Kay is survived by her children Julie Wilcox (husband John) and Michael Downing (wife Annette), grandchildren Katherine and Jaimie Wilcox and Haley and Harrison Downing, and her brother Michael Hoey. She was preceded in death by her son Peter Downing and siblings Patrick Hoey, Mary Ann Hoey Biddiscombe and Benjamin Hoey.
A memorial service honoring Kay will be held on Saturday, September 29, at 10:00 am at the chapel at St. Joseph church in Marietta.