Kay McDaniel

With a personality and heart as big as Texas, Kay Hodges McDaniel died on Dec. 24, 2024, after a sudden cancer diagnosis. She celebrated Christmas and her 80th birthday just three days before surrounded by her family.

During World War II, Kay's parents, George and Jackie, were sent to Miami, Fla., where she was born on Dec. 21, 1944. They returned to San Antonio, Texas, when Kay was 11 months old. She had one sister, Patty, who was seven years younger.

Kay attended school at Graebner Elementary and Burbank and Lowell Junior High Schools, skipping half of sixth grade along the way. Always active and involved from early on, Kay was a Brownie and Girl Scout, and enjoyed tumbling, tap and ballet.

She attended Thomas A. Edison High School and graduated in 1962. She played the clarinet in band, wrote for the school newspaper, was a member of the National Honor Society and a Worthy Advisor (the highest office) in Rainbow Girls. She was also a radio operator with her dad in the local Citizens Band (CB) Radio Club and Bexar County Civil Defense.

She attended San Antonio Junior College and was working part-time for the San Antonio Express-News the day President John F. Kennedy was assassinated. She then attended Texas Tech University in Lubbock where she majored in accounting and met her future husband, Roy McDaniel. From childhood, Kay still loved to dance, and she and Roy had many dancing dates. They were approaching their 60th wedding anniversary. They married on March 6, 1965, and she spent the next 18 years as a stay-at-home wife and mother while Roy worked in city government.

Rhonda was born in Lubbock in 1965, and Kevin was born in Lubbock in 1968. While they were growing up, Kay was involved in all their activities, from PTA mom to every single activity and performance. The family still has some of the PTA crafts she created for a Christmas party as PTA mom because they were so elaborate and beautiful.

Kay was the kids' taxi driver, organized activities, made sure school projects were completed and helped with all their crazy hair, crazy sock, and crazy costume days. She was their biggest cheerleader, and always said one of her accomplishments was teaching them to be independent - when Rhonda and Kevin left home, they knew how to cook, do laundry, clean the house, and take care of themselves.

The family moved to Abilene in 1978 where Roy initially served as Director of Finance and Assistant City Manager and was named City Manager in 1997, which Kay called "one of her proudest moments." During that time in Abilene, Kay worked for Associated Publishing Company for 15 years until retirement. While at APC, which was owned by the media conglomerate Hearst Corporation, she was recognized with the Eagle Award, the company's highest distinction and achievement award.

Also, during that time, Kay led and organized a "Group Hug" at the Taylor County Courthouse Plaza in honor of American troops on the first day of the Gulf War on Aug. 2, 1990. Other civic involvement included membership in the League of Women Voters and volunteer work in the local elections' office.

Among her hobbies and activities, Kay enjoyed genealogy research, with trips to cemeteries in Texas, Arkansas and Alabama with her mother. She also enjoyed making jewelry for family and friends and eventually started a small business called "Kay's Cache of Jewels." She was a member of the West Texas Gem and Mineral Society and loved shopping and travelling.

Among her numerous travels, some of Kay's favorites were fishing and camping trips to Lake Proctor while the kids were growing up, family horseback riding in Big Bend National Park, a company-paid trip to Cancun with Associated Publishing, the trip to New York to receive the Eagle Award from Hearst, a Caribbean cruise, a spring break ski trip to Colorado with the grandkids during their senior year in high school, a Bilbrey Tours 8-day bus trip to the Biltmore Estate in North Carolina, a family trip to Lake Tahoe, an Alaskan cruise with some of the grandkids, a trip with friends to New Orleans in later years where they all took their motorized scooters, and a bucket list trip down the coast of California.

Along with the births of her two children and ultimately their children and grandchildren, Kay was extremely proud of their graduations from college, weddings, and professional achievements. She loved doing things with the grandkids and attending all their activities, performances, and sporting events. She was always the babysitter on New Year's Eve and made it a big party. She would take the kids outside at midnight to whoop and holler and blow horns, topping off the celebration with a toast of sparkling grape juice. She also liked to buy matching outfits for all the grandkids and eventually the great grandkids.

Kay loved life and the people in her life. She was a smart, proud woman with a kind heart who always had a positive word. She was hard-working, loyal and strong, a mentor and friend. She was no-nonsense, funny and loud, with a great laugh and a great sense of humor. She was one of a kind and will be greatly missed.

Kay is preceded in death by her parents, George Aylette Hodges III and Jackie Smith Hodges.

She is survived by her husband, Roy; sister, Patty Gibson and husband Ed of Kerrville; daughter, Rhonda Graves and husband, Tim; son, Kevin and fiancée, Wendi Hancock; grandchildren, Austin Graves and wife Kendra, Rachel Graves, Jacob McDaniel and wife Bre; and her precious great grandchildren.

Charitable contributions can be made to Alzheimer's Association.