STUDDARD, Kay Chambers
On Sunday, September 26, 1943, a beautiful cotton-topped, blue-eyed girl was born to Jess and Katherine Chambers. They named her Kay Frances. She ZDV WKHLU ¿UVW FKLOG IROORZHG by 2 sisters and a brother. They live in the Celanese Mill Village and she attended Riverside School and Model. At the age of 16, she met Luther Lamar Studdard and LW ZDV ORYH DW ¿UVW VLJKW 7KH\ dated for about six months, he turned 21, she turned 17, so they decided to elope. When she returned and informed her mother what she had done, her mother insisted that they be married the “right way”. So, 2 weeks later, Rev. Paul Stover “re-married” them. Something in the mix must have worked because January 28th, 2021, they were married 60 years.
Kay had two children, Cary and Deborah Studdard. When the kids entered school, so did she. She studLHG WR EH D QXUVH ¿UVW DQ LPN and then went back to become an RN, all the time remaining on the Dean’s list with a 4.0 average. She was smart and oh, so beautiful. She worked for Floyd Hospital where she started off in Maternity then moved to Recovery and later became the Director of CCU/ ICU. After leaving Floyd, she worked as Plant Nurse for Kraft and retired as a private duty nurse for the elderly. Nursing was her calling in OLIH DQG VKH IXO¿OOHG LW ZHOO whether it be people or animals, she compassionately cared for the sick.
After retirement, she and her husband traveled the country and Canada for months at a time, enjoying every minute. When at home, she loved working LQ KHU ÀRZHU JDUGHQV 6KH crocheted. She was an outstanding cook, decorator and dressed to the nines. But due to her personal health, much of the traveling and things she loved began to slow down, but she didn’t let it stop her. They loved Maggie Valley and Cherokee and would take their motor home there for weeks at a time, far enough away yet close to home and her medical team.
She loved to read, anything and everything. Most of all, she loved reading and studying the Word. She knew it like the back of her hand. She not only knew it, she tried to practice it to the best of her ability. Her spiritual roots began as a child at North Rome Church of God. She highly revered her childhood pastor, Rev. Paul and Marge Stover. She would say “He was strict but he practiced what he preached.” Nursing would keep her from being a regular attender yet that didn’t stop her love for the Word. While working in CCU, she led many people to the Lord on their dying bed.
In the last 15 years, her health began to deteriorate slowly. Yet she never complained. She also kept it to herself. Unfortunately, after a recent series of falls, she was hospitalized only to succumb to multiple strokes. She was preceded in death by her parents, Jess Chambers and Katherine Phillips Chambers, by three sisters, Syretta Blackwell, Fay Sims and Judy Heyman, and 6 weeks ago, her daughter, Deborah Studdard, who lost her life to COVID-19.
She is survived by her husband of 60 years, Luther (Luke) Studdard; her son, Cary Studdard; her brother, Jesse Clyde Chambers, Jr.; several nieces and nephews that she loved dearly and her fur baby, Tucker.
$ 5HÀHFWLRQ RI +HU /LIH will be held Saturday, March 6th at 12 noon at Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, with her son, Cary Studdard and family friend, 7RPP\ 3KLOOLSV RI¿FLDWING. Visitation will begin at 11 AM. Interment will be at Oaknoll Memorial Gardens on Monday, March 8th at 11 AM.
The family would like to thank the many nursHV RQ WKH WK ÀRRU UHVSLUDTORY therapists and doctors at Floyd Medical Center for their excellent care. We especially would like to say thank you to Cheryl, Ashton, Mary and Julie who were exceptional. To those who prayed and checked on mom, we say thank you. To Retta Stephens Phillips, for singing her into the presence of the Lord, you and the Holy Spirit made her transition so peaceful.
Henderson & Sons Funeral Home, South Chapel, has charge of the arrangements.
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