Doris K Macdonald

Doris Kathryn (“Kay”) Smiley Macdonald, born July 11, 1943 in Baton Rouge, Louisiana, was the youngest child of Robert A. and Doris Smiley. She was known as Kay, a nickname which stuck with her throughout her life. She grew up in Baton Rouge, and met James Macdonald at a church group while attending Louisiana State University. Three years later, they married on August 12, 1966.

Education and children were lifelong passions. She earned her B.S. in Education from Northwestern University in Natchitoches, Louisiana. Jamie was drafted by the Army, and Kay & Jamie moved frequently for his training. In 1968, Kay returned to Louisiana to live with her in-laws while Jamie served in Vietnam and to await the birth of her first child. Katherine was born in March 1969.

When Jamie returned from his tour of duty, the couple spent a year in San Antonio while Jamie completed service with the Army. Then they moved to New Jersey for Jamie to attend New York University. Kay gave birth to their second daughter, Janet, in March 1972. In 1974, Jamie’s job moved the family to Gaithersburg, Maryland. Daughter three, Margaret, was born in May 1974, followed by Alice in July 1975.

Kay’s work on her master’s degree in early childhood education was put on hold while Kay devoted her full energy to raising four daughters. Kay was actively involved in the interests and pursuits of her children. When her daughters joined Girl Scouts, Kay served as troop leader and in the Service Unit,particularly as cookie chairman. She served as “room mother” numerous times over the years and knew everyone at the schools her daughters attended. When her children started on a swim team, she volunteered at every meet. When Margaret branched out to diving, Kay quickly learned how to organize and run a diving meet. Even Jamie and Katherine were roped in to learning how to judge at meets so that Kay would have a sufficient number of volunteers to work at each meet.

In 1988, Jamie’s job moved the family to Austin, Texas. With her youngest daughters in high school,Kay returned to work as an assistant director at Bethany Lutheran with their preschool. She resigned when her first granddaughter, Anne, was born, in order to care for Anne. When the family moved to Baton Rouge, Louisiana so that Katherine could attend law school at LSU, Kay volunteered to home-school Anne - which she did until Anne was in eighth grade.

Kay enjoyed gardening, particularly for butterflies. She combined these interests with her passion for teaching, and worked with the Master Gardener’s program at Zilker Park to staff the Butterfly Mobile to teach children. Kay also took great pleasure in cooking. Birthdays and holidays were celebrated with elaborate home-cooked meals, although Kay would also find any excuse to try out a new recipe.

While Kay delighted in family and hobbies, her faith was the foundation of her life. She actively served God throughout her life, with membership in churches too numerous to list. She was ordained as an Elder in the Presbyterian Church at Shepherd of the Hills in Austin. She had a passion for mission work, and loved to share the Gospel. A sampling of her interests include Christmas International House, Manos de Cristo, Presbyterian Children’s Homes, Little Lambs (as part of the Lamplighters Bible Study).

Kay never met a stranger, and could make friends anytime, anywhere. Even with her health struggles over the last few years, Kay had a smile for everyone. She will be truly missed by all who knew her.

A Memorial Service will be held at Covenant Presbyterian Church, located at 3003 Northland Drive, Austin, TX, (512) 454-5231, on Sunday, December 16, 2012, at 3:00 p.m., with a reception immediately following.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made in Kay's memory to Covenant Presbyterian Church, the American Lung Association, or the American Cancer Society.