Kathryn Carol Keagy

Kathryn “Kay” Carol Keagy of El Cajon, California passed away on November 6, 2023. She was 87 years old. Kay, known best by her family as Mom, Auntie Kay and Gramma, was surrounded by her loved ones the days before her passing. Kay was vivacious, spunky, generous, creative and adventurous, and was dearly loved by her family and friends.

Kay was born in Minneapolis, Minnesota on December 8, 1935 to Henry (“Hank”) and Kathryn Sobon. She was the second of three children, with older sister Bunny and younger brother Joey. Her family moved to Davenport Iowa when she was about five years old, then moved to Rock Island, Illinois. When Kay’s mother became ill, Kay and Bunny returned to Minneapolis to live with their Gramma Mary Anna. In 1946, Kay’s Aunt Victoria (“Vic”) Punton and cousin Ruth traveled to Minneapolis by train to bring Bunny, Kay and Joey to live with them and George Punton (Kay’s uncle) in Chula Vista, California.

After graduating from Chula Vista High School, Kay attended San Diego School of Nursing. At that time, Kay also attended classes at San Diego State College (now San Diego State University), where she met Roscoe (Ros) Keagy, her future husband. After completing her nurse’s training, Kay started her working career at San Diego County Hospital. She and Ros married in October 1957. Ros and Kay moved to the Bay Area and Sacramento for a few years before returning permanently to the San Diego area. Together, they had four children. They raised their family in La Mesa and El Cajon. Kay and Ros were married for 13 years.

Kay is survived by her four children: Karen, Kit (Rick), Ken (Sharon) and Mike (Brenda), and her 13 grandchildren and great-grandchildren. She was the proud grandmother to eight grandchildren and their spouses: Jennifer, Melissa (Mike), Janelle (David), Blake, Adam (Rachel), Jaclyn, Matthew and Kayla Ann (Tyler). Kay also had the joy of being a great-grandmother to five great-grandsons: Maddux, Ari, Leo, Jensen and Bode. Kay is also survived by her sister Bunny Folkner, brother Joe Sobon, cousin Ruth Chapman, and many cousins, nieces and nephews whom she loved.

Kay spent most of her working career as a registered nurse at Grossmont Hospital in La Mesa, where, for decades, she took care of patients in the post-op (“recovery”) room. She was caring and compassionate, and loved her career of helping others. Kay took pride in serving in leadership positions in the nurses’ union while fighting for fair pay and better working conditions at Grossmont Hospital. She also enjoyed a side career as a licensed real estate agent.

Kay loved family gatherings during the holidays, especially Christmas and Easter. For Christmas, her home was adorned with lavish decorations and ornaments, and she enjoyed embellishing her holiday sweaters with bright decorations, and creating handmade Christmas sleighs as gifts for her family. For Easter, she loved taking her family to brunch and Easter egg hunts in Coronado, her favorite city.

Kay loved to travel in her sporty Camaro and enjoyed many road trips in California and the southwest. Some of her favorite places to travel in California were Pacific Grove for its coastal beauty, Lake Tahoe, Pasadena for the Rose Parade, Ventura for the annual holiday boat parade and Palm Springs for the annual film festival, where she enjoyed seeing some of her favorite actors in person. Although she was not an avid outdoors person, she joined the Sierra Club because she wanted to preserve California’s natural beauty for future generations. She was proud of her family’s Polish heritage and traveled to Poland to learn more about the country’s history and its people.

A private memorial will be held to celebrate and honor Kay’s life, with only close family members present. Her vibrant spirit and generosity will be remembered fondly by her family and friends.