Kay Lee Kiser, loved by many, passed
away at home in Corvallis, Ore., Feb 7, 2021.
She was born Feb. 28, 1951 in Tillamook, Oregon, to
John Lyle Craven and Lois Ruth (Bates) Craven. She grew up
on a busy farm in Tillamook County near Cloverdale, Oregon,
where everyone in the family worked to help make the business grow. Her tasks as a
young girl were helping her mother with daily household
chores and caring for her two youngest brothers.
She attended schools in the
Cloverdale area where she made many close lifelong friends
with whom she remained in contact. She drove to Nestucca
High School in
a red Mustang and was known to a few as the “Queen of Meda
Loop”. After high school she attended Oregon State
University. Kay eventually married Steve Kiser on a
typically stormy winter night in Cloverdale on Feb. 26,1972.
Some will remember that night as one when a person had to
lean into the wind to remain standing.
Kay and Steve spent most of their
working years in Stayton, Oregon where they raised two sons.
Kay worked as a secretary at Calvary Lutheran Church where
she was an enthusiastic member of the choir. She also worked
as a legal secretary in a law firm in Stayton, all this on
top of being one of the best moms and wife a family could
ever hope for. Her love and dedication to her family were
unsurpassed. There was rarely an event that included her
family members that she did not attend.
Her love for reading compelled her to
serve on a committee to advance the remodeling of the
Stayton Public Library to what it is today. She also enjoyed
her days of attending meetings and working with the Nesko
Women’s Club, an organization helping to support those in
need in South Tillamook County. Kay cherished the friendship
of people she met throughout the years. Most people will
remember her kindness and warm smile.
She is survived by her husband,
Steve, sons John and Joe and brothers John, Michael
and David.
A private interment will be held at
the Oretown Cemetery. An informal celebration of life will
take place at a later date.
The
family would appreciate any memorial contribution in Kay’s
honor to be made to the South Tillamook County Library Club
(STCLC), PO Box 66, Pacific City Oregon 97135, the Oretown Cemetery Association, c/o Phyllis Strassburg, PO
Box 219, Cloverdale, OR 97112, or the Nesko Women’s Club,
PO Box 75, Pacific City, OR 97135.
