Kay Crumby Hussey

Kay Crumby Hussey “Miss Kay” – 69 – died peacefully after a brief illness surrounded by her family on Tuesday evening, July 11, 2017, at Methodist LeBonheur Hospital in Memphis, TN. Funeral Services will be held at First Baptist Church Corinth on Saturday, July 15, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be Friday night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at McPeter’s Funeral Home and from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Saturday at First Baptist prior to the funeral. The Rev. Dennis Smith and Dr. Bud Sizemore will conduct the service celebrating her life.

“Miss Kay” as she liked to be called was born September 9, 1947 in Oxford, MS, to Wallace and Inez Crumby. She graduated from Tupelo High School in 1965 and Mississippi State University in 1969. She married the love of her life, John H. Hussey in 1970. After college, she began her career as a special education teacher. She moved with her family to Corinth in 1976 where she continued teaching as a kindergarten teacher at First Baptist Church for 25 years.

She had a special gift of being able to reach and understand children and adapt to each child’s unique needs for learning. She loved her kindergarten children and delighted in seeing them grow into adults.

She devoted her life to serving others. For over 40 years, she played the piano and led worship for Sunday School services at our local nursing homes. She especially loved senior citizens and felt blessed to help them worship each week. While she was a faithful member of First Baptist Church, she was given the opportunity to serve as a pianist on Sunday mornings for the Covenant Presbyterian Church. She was loved by that precious congregation and was blessed to call both churches home.

She enjoyed calligraphy and was especially known for her beautiful and intricate monograms, wedding invitations, and wedding programs which she created for brides all over the country. She was a lifelong Mississippi State fan who loved to cheer on her bulldogs.

She was immensely proud of her children and grandchildren and loved spending time with them. They always looked forward to the yearly trips to “Memommy’s Florida.”

Miss Kay is survived by her husband of 47 years, John H. Hussey, and her children Alesha Knight (Preston) and Jennifer Garrett (Brett) of Corinth and Meredith Park (Jeremy) of Germantown, TN, and her special dog Petey. She leaves behind her six grandchildren, Emma Kate and Olivia Knight of Corinth, Jon Worth and Jack Garrett of Corinth, and Cooper Byers and Cayson Park of Germantown, TN. She is also survived by her father, Wallace F. Crumby of Tupelo, MS, sister, Janet Hallstrom (Jeff) of Orange Park, FL, niece Jill Bennett, nephew Jeffrey Hallstrom, and great nephew Tyler Bennett.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Inez Hayles Crumby.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church c/o Cassie Hall 516 Dean St. Corinth, MS. 38834

Arrangements under the direction of McPeters Funeral Directors, Corinth, MS.

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Jennifer's memorial and remembrance of mother's life as given at her funeral:

James. 1:2 Whenever trouble comes your way, consider it an opportunity of great joy.

Psalms 136: Oh give thanks to the lord, for He is good. His love endures forever.

Contemporary Christian author, Ann Voscamp, says that remembering is a act of thanksgiving. Remembering is what causes us to trust - to believe. Believing in our God is what puts us back together again.

Looking our here today, I see so many familiar faces - so many people that she loved and those who loved her back. So I imagine there is a lot of remembering .. a lot of thanksgiving,

My Momma had several special gifts besides her calligraphy. She was talented in piano and art, but my favorite gift was the way she loved and cared for others.

She started her career in special education as she had a heart for children in need. She loved those with learning disabilities or handicaps and taught us to not be afraid of people who were different. She dearly loved children. As a kindergarten teacher, she was gifted in helping each child find a way to learn. She would come with special rhymes or songs to teach them. Someone here today even told me how she taught her son to say his "L"s. She also had fun in class because she loved her students. Once, she taped Katie Allen in her chair because she couldn't stay in her seat. Katie loves that story, and so did she. For years she would get graduation invitations from her "kids", and she loved to see how these children grew up. She always loved her children's hugs no matter what their age and to them she was lovingly know as "Miss Kay".

She had a love and unique place in her heart for senior citizens. From a young age, she took us to the nursing homes and taught us the value of these lives by being kind to the residents that lived there. We would go out there on Halloween, Christmas and other special occasions to perform dance recitals for their entertainment. Often we shared our time with Buddy and Kay Bain of the WTVA "Mornin" show. Her Sunday School ministry in the nursing home spanned 40 years of playing the piano and letting her "little light" shine for Jesus. To many she became family, specially for those who had no one and she grieved when they died. Most of all she knew how important it was to encourage them in their faith. She knew that this ministry was the only way that they could worship and praise God. Because of her compassion, they loved her and she loved them.

She loved her friends dearly. She was second mother to many, a shoulder to cry on, a confident, a wonderful source of advise, and always an encourager to help brighten their day. She was honest with her friend and would go to the ends of the earth to defend them and help them in time of need. She laughed, loved, and cried with you, but most of all she treasured her true friends.

She even loved strangers. There isn't a waitress in town were she visited that she did not learn their name and she always wanted to know how their day was going. She delighted in giving them an extra 50 cents or a dollar tip. We usually thought it wasn't much, but she knew that just a little extra money might help them buy coke or snack. We saw a beautiful funeral spray last night from the girls at Borrum's Drug Store, which really touched our hearts because when a group of individuals send flowers , it says a lot about that person and what she meant to them. One time I came home and ask her where her red coat was. She told me that while she was at a local grocery store the clerk looked cold and told her that she like her coat. Momma took it off and gave it to her. She said that if it made the clerk happy, then it gave her great happiness to give it to her. This is how she lived, putting other first -- she took great joy in giving to others and never expecting anything in return. Her life was one of giving from the heart so that others could experience a moment of happiness in their life.

Most of all she loved her family. We were her life, and we knew it. She always wanted Birthdays and holidays to be special and she would do without to make us happy. Most of all, she took us to church and taught us about Jesus and God's love. She encouraged us daily to be true to our Christian faith. Most of all she taught us how to care for others. She stayed almost day and night with my Grandmother for 5 weeks until she died because many years before she had promised her that she would not let her die alone. Until this day she continued to watch over and care for my grandfather whom she deeply loved. I often heard her call him on the telephone, which she did every night, and at the end of the conversation she would always close with "I love you and sweet dreams my daddy doo".

She loved my daddy-- oh how she loved him. He was her rock and her constant companion who provided her with more love and joy than even he knows. These last three years, after he retired, they went everywhere and did everything as a couple. She treasured him and was always so proud to be his wife. What started our as a blind date in 1969 at Mississippi State University ended up as a life time of love and commitment, one to another.

What a legacy of love. What a day of remembrance. What a day of thanksgiving. If we continue to keep a little part of her spirit and love in our hearts, she will always be remembered, and there will always be thanksgiving for the life she lived and the lives she touched.

Lets remember that God is sovereign over us. Give thanks unto the Lord, for he is good. His love endures forever. I am so blessed to have been given a such a precious mother. I thank you for sharing in our celebration of her life today.

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How Kay and I met at Mississippi State. One week during my senior year I was trying to get a date for the weekend with Kaye Boykin and she was being evasive because she wanted to go home. So I said is there anyone in the room that is not doing anything this weekend . Well the next thing I know Kay's roommates volunteered her to speak to me on the phone. So after talking for a short while I asked her to go out that weekend and we had our first date, which was the beginning of many. On that first date I really impressed her with my fancy 1951 chevy/oldsmobile mix of a car that had no back seat, no bumpers, no head liner, a psychedelic painted ceiling, eight track player, and a shag rug on the floor. When Kay came in that night from our date she told her suite mates that she was going to "MARRY THAT BOY" because he had "smillie" eyes with "crinkles". About 3 dates later she put me to the acid test and asked me to go to church with her Sunday morning at FBC in Starkville. She was not afraid to show where her heart was and how she loved Jesus. Because I was working my way through school I had very little money so some of our dinner dates were at the local "burger shack" were we would share a burger basket, as she loved their French fries and soda fountain cokes. We had fun just being with each other and doing things like going to the movies [ Bullet (got sick),The Graduate,Valley of the Dolls,To Sir with Love], or listening to Big Ben and his band, watching a drive-in movie in the rain or swimming at the "blue hole" near MSU.

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Kay became kind of famous at Miss State for a incident that got her a lot of attention. One day while driving down University Blvd in her little red 1960 Chevy Covair the engine just fell out of the back of the car onto the street as she was passing Lee Hall. Well it did not take long before almost everyone on campus had heard about the incident and the little red Covair. So after that when she drove around campus students recognized the little red car that dropped its engine on the street and she received many waves and shouts. Oh, her dad did come down about 2 1/2 hours later to bolt the engine back in the car- but for Kay it was 2 hour and 29 minutes to long, as she was totally embarrassed over the incident.

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The year that KFC and the Colonel laid a " rotten egg" for Christmas. It was Christmas eve about 1984 and we had a tradition of always going out to eat a supper meal on Christmas eve after the church service. Well that year I was during the sound and the church service ran a little long. So after I had put up the sound equipment and we left the church it was "late". Yes it was my fault. All of the eating places ( we had very few back then) had closed so I decided to go to KFC. Not a good choice. Now Kay would only eat Extra Krispy, but KFC was out of "Extra Krispy" so I ordered "original" for everyone thinking that some chicken is better than "no" chicken. Wrong, the chicken was not hot, and soaking in liquid- oil or what ever. Now for a Extra Krispy lover this was just more than Kay could stand and when she was hungry, she was hungry -sometimes very distraught hungry if you know what I mean. Well to say the least eating warm, oily "original" KFC just did not hit the mark - unless it was the wrath of Kay mark that Christmas Eve. We, not Kay, ate our "original" chicken without saying a word as Kay was doing all the talking and then drove around looking at all the Christmas lights, which was one of her favorite traditions, until she clamed down enough to go home, To this day no one had ever forgotten that Christmas Eve at KFC or the "original" fried chicken that gave everyone indigestion.

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When the children were young the times were tight and Kay decided to use her artistic talent to make a little money for Christmas so she started several fads at school by painting ribbon belts with all types of toy characters, apples, the Corinth warrior mascot, names, flowers and almost any thing the children would request.. Then later she made braided hair barrettes, painted hair barrettes and painted anything anybody wanted on hair ribbons, but the Corinth warrior was the favorite. At one point I had to take over cooking supper because Kay had a back log of 40 -60 ribbon, belts (that she made at home), hair ribbons, and etc to finish every 2-4 days. The art work was done to exact details as she would only use 2-3 hairs of a brush to paint the fine details of a face or school logo, etc. This was a talent that no one ever was able to duplicate as her artistic talent was limitless and she enjoyed seeing her art work make others happy. Before this she had taken up smocking to make the children's clothes and she got so good at it that she started classes downtown during one of the art festivals, Yes, she made beautiful smocked clothes from scratch and finished them all by hand.

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Kay loved the Spirit of Christmas and having all the cousins over for cousin's camp. The one that she loved the most was when the grandchildren were very young and they all spent the night sleeping in the living room under the Christmas tree. This was like heaven to her because as a young girls she always loved spending the Christmas holidays in Water Valley at her Mammaw's house, and sleeping in quilts on the floor by the fire next to the Christmas tree. Her (grandmother) mammaw was a very sweet, humble and loving person that loved her "little" Kay with all her heart.

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Kay has always been there for her children but she was also a disciplinarian. Like the time she was singing in church choir one night and noticed that Meredith was, well let us say mildly, she was not behaving. Since mother was in the choir she thought that nothing could happen. Well Kay stood it as much as she could and finally got up, left the choir loft, when down into the congregation and sat down behind Meredith. Then she gave her a few choice words of wisdom. To say the least this situation never happened again. Oh others, yes many others did happen later., which is another story for later. This was not the first nor the last time that mother was one step ahead of her children when they decided to test the rules. Wonder why she knew what they were up to, could it be that she had been there and done that. Also, she as a kindergarten teacher knew the thought process of children.

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One trip that no one would ever forget is the 1983 trip to Disney World with Grandmother and Granddaddy. Normally when everyone is together for a while tensions are high and Kay thought that we would take two cars on this trip since there were 7 people. Oh no, granddaddy decided in order to save money we would all ride in our station wagon. So for over two days we were packed like sardines with all the luggage in our car on the way to Orlando, Florida. Stopping on the way to eat sack lunches at road side parks. To say the least we were all very ill on the way down and back. I think that Kay lost every nerve she had on this trip and we just tried to survive long enough to get home. If you look at the pictures of Kay and the children at DW you can see the frazzled look of frustration on her face as Kay's mother stuck to her and us like glue the whole time. Now as you see, they were paying for most of this trip as a fun thing to do for the grandchildren.

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During the early years of our marriage Kay had many second jobs to help ends meet. Before teaching kindergarten full time she played and taught music at the little red school house and at other pre-kindergarten church schools. Other jobs and places she worked included doing the Pepsi challenge (she was a coke drinker) where she took Meredith with her and they always would put her in the back of the store next to the coolers and to keep her feet warm she would sometimes wrap them in plastic or paper as they were hidden under the sample testing table, She worked at Preston Stafford Hardware, Kids Stuff childrens clothing store so that she could buy nice clothes for the girls ( she never brought home a check as it all went for children's clothes), she worked in the hot dog booths at Rogers on special holidays, did coke cola promotions, painted ribbons-barrettes-and belts for school children, gave smocking lessons, did birth announcements, and then later went full time as a Calligrapher were she did custom monograms, wedding invitations, wedding programs, poems, book dedications, Corinth Who's Who backboards, and many other projects for customers all over the United States. However, one of her desires was to be able to paint but due to other demands she never had the time to develop this talent.

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Now how did Kay get the nickname "Memommy". This happened one day when Alesha was out with Emma Kate, who was about 2 - 21/2 years old, and as they were uptown Emma Kate saw a white car that looked like Kay's car. Emma Kate, when seeing the white car, said there is "Me" "Mommy". Later Alesha called mother and told her that she now had a new name "Memommy". So from that day forward, all the grandchildren called her by her new name -- "Memommy", which is the one word that made her heart leap with joy.

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Kay worried about everything and was especially concerned when the children left for school or left the house to go anywhere. Every morning when they left for school on the bus she would stand at the door and way good bye. Later as the girls started driving and as they were leaving the driveway she would always stand on the porch or in the yard and wave to them. She would not move or say anything until they were out of sight. So one day I asked her what she was doing by standing and watching until they drove out of sight. Kay said that she was saying a prayer to keep them safe until they reached their destination. She did the same thing when the grandchildren started driving when they left her driveway. The fear of something happening to family members was always on her mind. When I was working out of town and driving to Iuka, Amory, Booneville or Waynesboro, Tennessee she was always worried about something happening. So much so that If I failed to call when I arrived at work she would call me crying in a state of panic with the fear that something had happened. She all ways wanted her little family safely in her nest were she could care and love them. To us her fears and anxiety seemed to be unfounded or trivial over such mundane issues, but to her they were very real. We were her life and she totally lived to care and love those in her circle. To lose one of her "loves" would be deviating and more than she could handle.

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Once when Kay and the young children were swimming at the local Holiday Inn she started teaching Meredith, who was about 4, how to swim. Well Meredith decided that she knew enough ( a trait that was repeated often) about swimming and jumped into the deep end of the pool. Well Kay panicked when she heard the splash and had to jump in a pull her out. To say the least after this session Meredith did learn not to jump in the deep end until she learned to swim. Now on trips Kay always like to stay at a motel were there was a swimming pool because when she was younger Wallace would not stop at a motel with a pool because he thought the rates were higher.

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Kay was deathly afraid of flying but one event caught her off guard. In 1992 she entered a essay contest " Why I like to shop at Barnes Crossing Mall" and won the contest. Well, the prize was a trip to Disney World along with air fare to Orlando from Memphis. Now she was thrilled with winning the trip until she learned that we HAD to fly in order to accept the trip. So with fist clenched and nerves on edge she boarded the plane and flew to Orland without saying a word the whole trip. Once on the ground in Orlando, she stated that it was not so bad and sure was a lot easier than driving. However, she still never really got over her fear of flying and worried a great deal when either John or the girls had to fly anywhere. In retrospect, she could handle the driving but she felt that once you were on an airplane everything was out of her control. How could not stop on the side of the road for repairs if a plane had a mechanical failure while in the air.

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Kay/Memommy was a very sensitive and sentimental person. She cherished anything that her children or grandchildren gave or made for her. The value of the object was not what was important to her but it was the fact that it was something that was done just for her. She still has many "precious" Christmas tree ornaments that were made by the daughters while in pre-kindergarten and grade school. The same goes for gifts from special friends and the grandchildren. Each Christmas we have a box of "special" ornaments that we place on the tree and around the house. Some of the items are a paper Kermit the frog ornament, plaster of Paris wreath, hand prints, brass etched ornaments, stick pin ornaments, paper colorings, trip mementos (NYC) and others that she cherished like diamonds. We have a tree topper star that was purchased in 1970 for our first Christmas that she insisted that we use EVERY year on our tree. Every year she displayed our first ($2.98 ) wooden manger scene that we bought in Greenwood in 1974, as it held special memories for her. I will put this manger scene out this and every year in her memory. Other items such as all the art work done by the children and grandchildren, rubber band bracelets, button bracelets, Cooper's crayon coloring done when he was about 5-6 is still on the wall next to her bed along with many, many items she kept as memory keepsakes. She cherished and loved gifts from the heart that were given to her in love more than anything due to the sentimental value attached to each one. Because of her sentimental and compassion nature some people misunderstand her and would make light of how she cherished very simple things that she decided to buy to keep. Some would make fun of her nature and make a joke about how she worried all the time about nothing for nothing and how she would cry over a simple event that touched only her heart. Many comments hurt but she never tried to "strike back", nor did she elect to seek any kind of revenge. She never let anyone know how much these acts hurt, as most people never understood her heart and love for friends, family and sentimental items she cherished. However, from time to time she would ask me after an incident, "what did I ever do to them that they would make fun of me and the way I feel"? I have never done anything to them but try to be respectful and not criticize their actions even if I disagreed with what they had said or done. Such was her heart and gracious spirit as she slowly forgot the hurt and never used it to undermine their friendship or to put them in their place. This is the way she lived her life and many people never understood her fear or anxiety of losing the things that she loved and cherished.

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Music was the love of her life and the trip to see Johnny Mathis in Concert was next to heaven for her. While in the concert I watched her while he was singing, and she was just elated to be in the audience. It was pure joy for her to hear Johnny Mathis sing all the songs that she loved. This was a special time in her life that I wished that we had experience more of before she passed away. Because she would put the needs of others and family before her own, she would postpone many activity or plans. She loved going to church or community concerts and listening the wonderful songs that touched her heart. Many times during a concert or singing event she would move her head and hands to the music while singing along, which sometimes embarrassed her daughters. When we would go see my Aunt Catherine in the nursing home Kay knew that she used to play the piano in church and loved the old hymns. So on our visits to Greenville, Kay would play hymns and Christmas music (when appropriate) for hours to the delight of the Catherine and the residents. Catherine would listen with her eyes closed and when Kay had finished playing she would thank her and would say " You have a wonderful touch for the music". This was one talent that Kay loved to share with others as it brought her as much happiness as it did those she played for.

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Kay and the Delta Delicacy: This story happened when Kay and I were dating and we went to visit Catherine Law, my aunt, in Chatham, Mississippi. Well the day was going OK and my Aunt Catherine had already invited both Kay and I to have a dinner that night with Sid and Madge Deaton, his fiancée. The supper that night was served in the large, large dinning room with all the elegant trimmings on the massive dinner table that could seat about 16-20, if needed. Now Catherine was determined to introduce the new guest, Madge and Kay, to two of her favorite Delta Delicacies. Now do not get ahead as you are thinking- yes the Delta Delicacy would be something like Catfish, a big steak or a roast. Not so, as Catherine brought out the salad which was a Delta specialty that only Catherine could make. It was her famous "Tomato Aspic" salad- Umm, Umm so not do good- it had pucker power. So Kay being the lady she was and not wanting to disappoint my Aunt Catherine, slowly nibbled at the salad to be respectable and spread it around on the dish and under the lettuce. To go along with the salad Catherine served each person a large glass of milk, which Kay could not drink as she was lactose intolerant. Then came the main entre that was served on the best china in the south in a most formal settings. Now at this point Kay's nerves and feeling of inferiority were starting to show a little bit, but she stayed calm. The meat was wonderful and place in front of all the guest by Burness, Catherine's waitress for that night. Both Sid and I knew what the Delta Delicacy meat was and we started to eat with sounds of umm, this is really good. Sid told Madge it was really good, which I chimed in and told Kay that she needs to try her entre. At this point they had their suspicions but were not really sure what was on the plate as it did not look like any slice of steak or roast they had seen before. I think Kay wanted to crawl under the table and Madge was not doing much better. So to be polite, they both cut their meat and took a little bite of the freshly cooked and sliced "cow's tongue". It was by then that Sid and I could stand it no longer and we both started laughing and told them now you can't let this wonderful food go to waste. As Catherine and Sidney were at the table the girls got creative and hid most of the meat in the salad and the side items so it to looked like they made an attempt to eat the Delta Delicacy. This was a night to remember as well as the look on both Kay and Madge's face as they tried to choke down the delicious "cow's tongue". I think that Burness had quite a few left overs to take home that night as no one asked for seconds, at least not the girls. To say the least the least I got quite an ear full after leaving Catherine's that night about how Sid and I would not leave them along about "eating their entre". However, as we made additional visits to Catherine we would always have a good laugh about the night Kay got her first taste of Catherine's "Delta Delicacies".

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Kay was always very sensitive and sentimental to people in need and who had special conditions that made them different. One Christmas when she was about 16 she was wrapping presents in a department store in Tupelo and on the last day of work she saw a doll on the shelf that no one wanted. The doll was placed off to the side and to many it was not very pretty. However, to Kay she felt sorry for the little doll, that had been left alone, and on that last day it needed her love and attention. So with the money she was paid that day she bought the "Patches" doll with its sack cloth patched dress and a tear in one eye. No one else wanted this sad doll except Kay, who felt it needed a home for Christmas. This was the nature of her love, her caring heart and her feeling for things and people that others walked away from and many never understood. In some ways this doll represented how she felt about her life, sometimes pushed aside, overlooked, feeling not as good as others, feeling inferior, not part of the group, and not loved or appreciated. However, for the most part she kept all these feeling inside, yet was always willing to help encourage others, or tell they how good they looked that day, complememting them on their clothes or ask they how their family was doing. She was not judgmental, but always looked for the good in each person and tried to make them feel special when ever they would meet.

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When the children were little she loved to play a little game with the overhead railroad bridge on Shiloh road. When the car approached the "rickety" railroad bridge she would say " put your hands on the roof of the car to hold the bridge up". During this time and later she showed us several unique talents which included finding 4 leaf clovers (she could find more in 10 minutes that others could in hours- this was learned this from her daddy), doing crossword puzzles, a wiz at Sudoku, spotting clothing mishaps, a champion at Candy Crush and many other internet games just to name a few. She had a knack for English grammar and speech such that without even trying she would pick apart any article or speech for errors. She would literally have a heyday with my writings; however, in this case the content is what is important.

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Oh, one of the odd things she did was that when the children had their teeth cleaned and were good during the procedure she would take them to the Jr,Food Mart on Shiloh Road to get a Slush Puppy. Yes a Slush Puppy, full of sugar to recoat their mouth and teeth after they had been cleaned.

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Now as I am writing this it is December 2017 and the Christmas spirit is everywhere, the spirit of love and giving, the spirit that Kay had in her heart year round. This year will be different as well as difficult, but I still remember our first Christmas as newly weds in Houma, Louisiana living in a 2 bedroom apartment as we had love for one another but not much else. Later Kay purchased the small manger scene and a cardboard fireplace to make Christmas "special" for our young children. Kay would drive me crazy as she had to get the "perfect" gift for those on her Christmas list and was willing to give presents to many, many friends as this is what gave her great joy. Until she became ill with heart problems she loved to decorate the house for Christmas to make it a wonderful place for the girls and grandchildren. She would put up her little Christmas tree in the den, the stick Santa, the original wood manger scene, wrap the wreath on the stairs, lovingly place the special ornaments on the tree, and hang the stockings on the fireplace. These are just a few of the things that she loved and cherished during this time of the year. Even with her faults and fears Kay only wished the best for her family and was willing do to anything to make birthdays and Christmas special. Also, she was always so proud of her daughters in what ever they did. It was Kay that set the standard of excellence in everything that they attempted for she was their biggest cheerleader and ALWAYS expected them to do their best in any endeavor. "Miss Kay" had her strengths, weaknesses and like anyone else she had her moments, which few understood until much later. However, no one could dispute the love and devotion she had for her God, her children, family and friends as she was always there for them. Most of all she held the belief that her word was her bond and there was NEVER, Never an option to "Doing the Right Thing ", no matter what the cost. Example: Kay promised Anna Hayes Ellis that she would be at her wedding but the wedding was on the last day of our vacation. So true to her word, Kay had us leave PCBeach early that morning and we drove 7+ hours without a break so she could get home in time to change clothes and be at the wedding 30 minutes early. There are so many more memories that I could list about her life, her character, her beliefs, and how she gave of herself to others as she was willing to do without in order to help family or friends A recent example of how she put the concerns of others before her own is that on Jan 1, 2015 she was in the ICU unit of Magnolia Hospital suffering from congestive heart failure and at the same time Meredith had gone with her family to attend the Mississippi State "Belk" Bowl football game in North Carolina. In order make sure Meredith attended the bowl game and had a good time Kay made everyone promise not to tell Meredith of her medical condition until she started home a few days later. Kay's concern was for Meredith to enjoy this special event and not feel obligated to cancel all of her plans and rush to the hospital where she would only be able to see her a few minutes each day. To Kay it was not that she may or may not survive this medical problem, but what was important to her was that Meredith be able to enjoy her trip in peace without the burden of worrying about her mother.

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The final remberance: In 2017 after her second congestive heart failure episode she realized that her heath was not improving after having several bad days. Then one evening she said "I am not good for anything any more" I cannot get around or do any of the things that I used to do as my back is hurting all the time and I get tired just from walking down the stairs or trying to get dressed. Later one summer day I was telling her how fast the new young Cypress trees were growing, and how big they would be next year. Then after a long pause she said " I do not think that I will be here next year to see them", which broke my heart to hear her talk like that. During this time she did not let anyone know how bad her health was or how much pain she was in because she never wanted to draw attention to herself or for others to worry about her medical condition. Before the last spine injection to help her tolerate the ride to Florida, Dr. Armstrong told her that he did not know how she could stand the pain caused by the severe condition of her back. However, one thing that could make her forget her problems was to be with her children and grandchildren as she cherished each minute that she could spend with them and always wanted a group picture to remember these special moments. This is why she loved the family vacation trips to Florida because it gave her time to have fun in the company of her children and grandchildren. It also was a time for building family relationships, bonds, and memories that would last a life time. Oh, she so treasured the memories that we made during these and other trips. She was just sorry that in these past 2 years she could not be with them more and was not able to be there to cheer them on during their events. Oh you do not know how much she loved her children and grandchildren as she prayed for them every night and was always concerned about their well being, and how they were doing in school. As we look back on her life lets remember what she stood for, how she loved, her tender-caring heart, and the good times that will fill us with joy and bring a smile to our face. Kay was always my gracious lady and this is what she would have wanted. She would not have wanted us to live a life of grief or sorrow thinking about "what could have been" or what "I should have done" when she was here. Even though we have lost her for now we know that she is in heaven and like the poem " If you could see me now" she is walking the streets of gold, standing tall and bold, has seen HIS face and the pain is now erased. Oh, how wonderful to know that she is no longer in pain and can sing with joy as never before. The empty space she has left behind will always be with us as well as our memories, but most of all her legacy of love and caring is what we should treasure. If nothing else we need to cherish the time we have with loved ones because little did I know that when I kissed her goodnight Friday that the next day she would not wake up. It was only by, I believe, a gift of God that we were able to have those two wonderful days with her in the hospital before she slipped away. Life is short and only God knows what tomorrow holds for us. Therefore, we need to trust in HIS love and mercy every day, not taking our loved ones for granted. Most of all we should let our " little light" shine for Jesus just as she did for those that are not as fortunate. We may never know how many lives we touch by just being kind to others in the spirit of God's love. At the funeral we were amazed at the unbelievable outpouring of love and the number of people who came to pay their last respects for a lady know to many as "Miss Kay".

Kay, as you said that I was the wind under your wings, you were not only the light of my life but the one that made my life complete.

My Precious Blue eyes- gone to soon. I love you now and forever. John

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Kay Crumby Hussey “Miss Kay” – 69 – died peacefully after a brief illness surrounded by her family on Tuesday evening, July 11, 2017, at Methodist LeBonheur Hospital in Memphis, TN. Funeral Services will be held at First Baptist Church Corinth on Saturday, July 15, at 1:00 p.m. Visitation will be Friday night from 5:00 to 7:00 pm at McPeter’s Funeral Home and from 12:00-1:00 p.m. on Saturday at First Baptist prior to the funeral. The Rev. Dennis Smith and Dr. Bud Sizemore will conduct the service celebrating her life.

“Miss Kay” as she liked to be called was born September 9, 1947 in Oxford, MS, to Wallace and Inez Crumby. She graduated from Tupelo High School in 1965 and Mississippi State University in 1969. She married the love of her life, John H. Hussey in 1970. After college, she began her career as a special education teacher. She moved with her family to Corinth in 1976 where she continued teaching as a kindergarten teacher at First Baptist Church for 25 years.

She had a special gift of being able to reach and understand children and adapt to each child’s unique needs for learning. She loved her kindergarten children and delighted in seeing them grow into adults.

She devoted her life to serving others. For over 40 years, she played the piano and led worship for Sunday School services at our local nursing homes. She especially loved senior citizens and felt blessed to help them worship each week. While she was a faithful member of First Baptist Church, she was given the opportunity to serve as a pianist on Sunday mornings for the Covenant Presbyterian Church. She was loved by that precious congregation and was blessed to call both churches home.

She enjoyed calligraphy and was especially known for her beautiful and intricate monograms, wedding invitations, and wedding programs which she created for brides all over the country. She was a lifelong Mississippi State fan who loved to cheer on her bulldogs.

She was immensely proud of her children and grandchildren and loved spending time with them. They always looked forward to the yearly trips to “Memommy’s Florida.”

Miss Kay is survived by her husband of 47 years, John H. Hussey, and her children Alesha Knight (Preston) and Jennifer Garrett (Brett) of Corinth and Meredith Park (Jeremy) of Germantown, TN, and her special dog Petey. She leaves behind her six grandchildren, Emma Kate and Olivia Knight of Corinth, Jon Worth and Jack Garrett of Corinth, and Cooper Byers and Cayson Park of Germantown, TN. She is also survived by her father, Wallace F. Crumby of Tupelo, MS, sister, Janet Hallstrom (Jeff) of Orange Park, FL, niece Jill Bennett, nephew Jeffrey Hallstrom, and great nephew Tyler Bennett.

She was preceded in death by her mother, Inez Hayles Crumby.

In Lieu of flowers, memorial may be made to Covenant Presbyterian Church c/o Cassie Hall 516 Dean St. Corinth, MS. 38834

Arrangements under the direction of McPeters Funeral Directors, Corinth, MS.