Kay Ramsey Youngs

Kay Ramsey Youngs, of Louisville, Tenn., died peacefully at home on August 19, 2021. She had just celebrated her 90th birthday with family and friends on May 10. Born in Mulberry Gap, Tenn., to Beverly J. and Maysie Ramsey, Kay was valedictorian of Hancock County High School’s class of 1948. She earned a bachelor’s degree in home economics from the University of Tennessee in 1952. While at UT, she was among the candidates for Apple Festival Queen, Phi Sigma Kappa Fraternity’s Moonlight Girl, and the Agricultural Club’s Barnwarmin’ Queen. She obtained a master’s degree in psychology from Tennessee Technological University in 1968, where she was a member of the Kappa Delta Pi honor society in education. She was the guidance counselor at York Institute in Jamestown, Tenn., and Gainesville High School in Gainesville, Ga.

Shortly after beginning her first teaching job at Clarkrange (Tenn.) High School, Kay met and married Barna Youngs, of Allardt, Tenn., a marriage that took place three weeks after their first date at the Mark Twain Café in Jamestown, Tenn., and lasted 55 years until Barna’s death in 2008. Kay was also preceded in death by brother BJ Ramsey and sisters Hope Coleman and Annette Turner. She is survived by three sons and a daughter: Barna, of Memphis, Tenn., Sharon, of Oak Ridge, Tenn.; Lynn (Liz), of Louisville, Tenn.; and Joe, of Milton, Ga.; as well as her brother Boyd Ramsey, of Lubbock, Texas; five grandchildren; several nieces and nephews; and her beloved cat Punkin.

Kay was a model of multitasking. While raising four children and sewing most of the clothes they wore, she managed to teach full-time, earn her master’s degree, start a retail business with two locations, and keep the books for her husband Barna’s businesses, all while maintaining a quick wit and remarkable level of sanity. Kay loved to garden and can “green pickles,” fish anywhere at any time, solve the toughest crossword puzzles, and make crafty items, including original Father Christmases. An athlete herself, Kay was a devoted University of Tennessee sports fan. A person of deep faith throughout her life, Kay was the first woman elected as a deacon at Allardt Presbyterian Church, and the first woman to be elected an elder at First Presbyterian Church in Gainesville, Ga. After membership at St. Marks United Methodist Church in Louisville, Tenn., Kay was most recently a member of First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, Tenn.

A graveside service will be held at Allardt Cemetery in Allardt, Tenn., on Sunday, August 22, at 4:00 p.m. local time (5:00 p.m. EDT). A celebration of Kay’s life will be held at First Presbyterian Church, Oak Ridge, Tenn., on Monday, August 23 at 11:00 a.m. (EDT). A reception will follow in the fellowship hall.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to First Presbyterian Church of Oak Ridge, Tenn., or St. Marks United Methodist Church, Louisville, Tenn.