Kathryn "Kay" English's Obituary
Kathryn “Kay” English, beloved wife, stepmother, sister, aunt, and step-grandmother, passed away peacefully on Tuesday, July 19 at the age of 94.
Born Kathryn Margaret Kelley in 1922 in Sapulpa, Oklahoma, to Tom and Elizabeth Kelley, she was the eldest daughter of five siblings. She spent her childhood in Sapulpa, and after high school attended a local community college before joining the Marine Corps Women’s Reserve in 1943. For 27 months, she served at Camp Pendleton doing secretarial work. After her military service ended, she attended Northeastern Oklahoma A&M College as an art major, then went to work for Shell Oil.
In 1950, Kathryn moved to San Francisco and worked for Standard Oil of California. It was there that she met Redfern English, whom she married in 1965. In subsequent years, Standard Oil transferred them to New York City, then Brussels, Belgium, where they lived for three years. Kathryn loved living abroad; after they returned to the States in 1973 and settled in Moraga, she enjoyed recounting their overseas adventures at dinner parties and over cocktails with friends and family.
Kathryn took up golf at the age of 53, and quickly became a contender in the women’s tournaments, both at the Moraga Country Club and the Twain Harte Golf Club in the Sierras, where she and Red spent their summers. She played her last round of golf at the age of 93. She also enjoyed playing bridge, and kept reading novels and learning new technologies into her later years. Her great sense of humor, her love of life, and her c’est la vie attitude will be missed by all who knew her.
Kathryn is survived by her husband, Redfern English; sister, Jane Osterday; stepson Bob English (Theresa); stepdaughter Martha Staib (Ron); granddaughters Jennifer Roberts (Chris), Carleen Madigan (Brett McLeod), and Heather English; and great-granddaughter, Samantha Roberts, along with numerous nieces and nephews from the Osterday and Kelley families.
The memorial service will be held on Monday, August 15, 2016, at 10:30 am at St. Perpetua Catholic Church, 3454 Hamlin Rd., Lafayette, CA with a reception to follow.
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