RIP Alice Kay

Most of you know by now, but Alice passed away around 7:45 p.m. on Wednesday, June 30.

We are overwhelmed by the outpouring of love you have all shown. In the next week, we'll be updating this blog with a link to the memorial service, programs from the services, your stories about Alice and other memories. For now, thanks for all that you have done both for Gramma and our family. Following is Alice's obituary:

COLUMBIA - Mary Alice Salmon Kay, 88, passed away at her home on June 30, 2010, in the loving care of her family.

Born May 4, 1922, in Moore County, NC, she was the daughter of the late Ella Harrington Doughty and Davis R. Salmon, Sr.

Mrs. Kay was predeceased by the love of her life and husband of 64 years, Leroy F. 'Speed' Kay. They were married in a double wedding ceremony at the Virginia Dare Hotel in Elizabeth City, NC, on October 2, 1940, and made a wonderful life and family together thereafter.

Also predeceasing her were her parents, brother, Gilbert Salmon, and sisters, Thelma Townsend and Edna McCartney.

She is survived by brother Davis R. Salmon, Jr. and wife, Janie of Pinehurst, NC, daughters, Pat Kay Key and husband, Jim of Burlington, NC, and Mary Kay Baldauf and husband, Rick of Columbia, SC. Surviving also are grandson Jim Key II and wife Ruth of Durham, NC, and granddaughters, Patti Key of Huntersville, NC, Mary Pat and Beth Baldauf of Columbia, SC, great-grandchildren, Jay and Rachel Key of Durham, and a host of loving nephews and nieces.

Mrs. Kay was a long-time member of Cameron Baptist Church in Cameron, NC, where she and her late husband 'Speed' were honored in 2008 for their love and service through the years. She was a former member of Fairview Heights Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA. During that time, she was Associational GA Director of Portsmouth Baptist Church in Portsmouth, VA, and she was Associational GA Director of Portsmouth Baptist Association for many years. Her GAs and Cradock High School students were very special to her.

Mrs. Kay retired from Moore Regional Hospital in 1995 after years of loving service, where she touched countless lives in many ways. She loved her job, and she loved the people she worked with even more.

Mrs. Kay had friends and family throughout the United States, and she loved to keep in touch through cards, calls and later through her blog and Facebook page as well. She was known far and wide for her thoughtfulness, her sense of style and her love of all things pink.

Funeral service will be held at 1 p.m on Saturday, July 3, 2010, at Cameron Baptist Church, 593 Carthage Street, Cameron, NC, with the Rev. Dr. Wayne Greene officiating. A viewing will precede the service at noon. Burial will follow in Cameron Community Cemetery. The family will receive friends immediately following in the Fellowship Hall at Cameron Baptist Church.

A memorial service will be held at 2 p.m. on Tuesday, July 6, 2010, in the Sanctuary at Eastminster Presbyterian Church, 3200 Trenholm Road, Columbia, SC.

Memorials may be made to Cameron Baptist Church Building Fund, PO Box 155, Cameron, NC 28326; Harmony Care Hospice, 100 Ashland Park Lane, Suite K, Columbia, SC 29210; or United Way of the Midlands, 1800 Main Street, Columbia, SC 29201.

The family is deeply grateful to Dr. Farrell Collins and staff in Pinehurst, NC, Dr. Bradley Word and staff in Columbia, SC, the nursing staff of the 8th Floor Averyt Wing at Palmetto Baptist, the wonderful home care givers with Harmony Care Hospice and all of those involved in her care over the past several years.

Read more: http://www.legacy.com/obituaries/thestate/obituary.aspx?page=lifestory&pid=143870243#ixzz0t6NRAq9K

A Few Pics We Missed

Here are a few pictures I realized that we hadn't posted. Too fun not to share!

Gramma and John Tudor, a magician. We saw him at the Columbia Children's Theatre.


Gramma decorated her walker for Christmas. Here she is after having her hair done!


Being silly at Hobby Lobby. Probably my favorite picture of Gramma!

Gramma's Bling

Gramma and the beautiful "Sandra Bullock" watch we gave her for Mother's Day. (Sandra Bullock wore a similar one in The Blind Side.)

Gramma at the Original House of Pancakes

These are a few pictures from a recent dinner at the Original House of Pancakes. It was just a few weeks ago, but it seems like forever now!

This is a picture of Alice with Bob and Nancy, friends from Starbucks!

Gramma and her famous rain hat. She's had one like this as long as I've known her.


As you see, it provides great coverage, but isn't exactly a fashion statement.


I once bought her a stylish pink Totes rain hat, but she swears by this style. I'm not sure I've ever seen anyone else wear one...

Great Memories

For those of you still checking the blog, you probably know that we're close to losing Gramma.

Tonight, I was looking for a particular photo of Gramma to send to Mom, who is working on the obituary. (Gramma is still with us, but Mom is getting everything ready ahead of time.) I had a ball looking through the photos we've taken over the past two years. What fun we've had, and you've seen a lot of it here.

Always living three or so hours from Gramma and Grampa, Beth and I really only saw them for holidays. There were weeklong summer visits, and Beth even lived with them a while when Dad was hospitalized in NC. But by and large, our visits were only for holiday celebrations.

We were so fortunate to have Gramma come live with Mom and Dad two years ago. We had lots of quality time to spend with her, and got to know her in a totally new way.

I invite y'all to scroll through this blog this evening, like I have, and see the many adventures our Alice had in Columbia.

More to come later.

Gramma and the girls doing Shrove Tuesday at the Original House of Pancakes

Alice and a baseball valentine from The Girls

Alice Goes to Church

Sunday, Alice and her granddaughter, Beth, went to the Jubilee Service at Eastminster Presbyterian Church. This was Alice's second visit, but the first with the paparazzi in tow.

Reports are that Alice was singing and clapping on the front row, and that she was somewhat of a celebrity!

Alice and Amos Disasa, one of the ministers at EPC.


Alice and two friends from Eastminster. (That's Martha Mason on the left!)


Alice and Barbara McArthur, a member of Alice's "Care Team."

Alice at the Elliott's Christmas Party

Every year, the Elliott family has a Christmas party on December 23. Alice hadn't been out of the hospital long, but she had a new outfit and was determined to go, and go she did!

John Douglas escorting Alice (and Frances Anne) into the party.

Some great shots of Alice and Shorti.


And Beth and Alice.


Gramma certainly had her appetite back!


Alice with France Montgomery, Mary Elliott's mom. For those of you reading this in NC, Frances is from Sanford.


In case you can't tell, Alice had a GREAT time!

Alice Out on the Town

Tonight, the girls took Alice to first performance of the Forest Acres Winter 2010 Art Series at Midtown at Forest Acres. Tonight's performance was John English, who the girls actually knew when they lived in Greenwood.


He did some kids songs and some adult songs, including some that taught sign language. Here, Alice and Mary Pat are sign singing "We all love Saturday night."


Alice and John English...


The concert was held at the Columbia Children's Theatre, and afterwards, Alice and the girls visited with Jerry and Jim, who run the theatre.


Alice and Jerry...


We had lots of fun trying on hats and acting silly...


...and Mary Pat even tried to do "wheelies" with Alice's new tripod walker.


After the performance and clowning around, Alice and the girls went to Zesto's. Alice got a hot fudge sundae and started eating it before even leaving Zesto's. Beth got fries; Mary Pat got a dipped in chocolate cone. We took back a banana milkshake for Rick and a hot fudge sundae for Shorti.


Next Tuesday's "Gramma and Girls" adventure will be to the second performance, a magician! Stay tuned!

Alice: Our Christmas Miracle

It's odd to see that our last post was in July, 2009! Let me explain and also apologize. Sister and I went to Chicago in late July, and when we came home and through late December, Alice experienced quite a few health problems. It seems like during that time frame, she was in and out of the hospital every three to four weeks, and even when she was home, wasn't feeling too hot. It seems like once we all got back on an even keel, she'd get sick again. Her health problems, along with Dad's, kept us quite busy, and the blog suffered!

This last hospital visit in mid-December was quite scary, but Alice came out of it stronger and better than she's been since before she moved down to SC. We call her our Christmas miracle! It's hard to believe, but she was actually out shopping at Wal-Mart with us on Christmas eve!

Now that things seemed to have settled down again, and hopefully for a while, we'll try our hand at the blog again! We have some great pictures of Alice enjoying the Christmas season and visits from friends. I've gotten a new computer, which I'm still getting set up, but this week I promise to download the pictures and get them on the blog!

Tonight, Alice and Shorti went by the Elliott's to pick up Will, and Alice told Scott that she wanted to go to church with him - and off they went. We look forward to hearing about her adventure with Scott; maybe I can even post it to the blog - without pictures unfortunately!