Cynthia Kay Gerhardt Jay

Cynthia Kay Gerhardt Jay (“Kay Jay”) went to be present with her Lord, and the host of loved ones who had gone before her, on Monday, February 20, 2017, in Austin, Texas. There to welcome her were her mother, Grace Moore Gerhardt, her father, Harold Frederick Gerhardt, her stepmother, Myrel Gerhardt and many other loved ones and friends with whom she is rejoicing in the Lord with a presence no longer burdened or slowed by illness.

Kay Jay was born January 22, 1950, in San Angelo, Texas, and grew up there with lifelong friends. After graduation from S.A. Central High School, she attended Oklahoma State University where she earned her B. S. in Clothing and Textiles; Colorado State University where she earned her M.S in Textiles and Apparel; and The University of Texas where she earned her Ph. D in Adult Education. After a career in retail, Kay found her true calling as a teacher, continuing the rest of her life to change the lives of students at various locations including Colorado State University, East Texas State University, Northern Arizona University, and the University of Texas. She retired from the University of Texas at Austin as the Director of the Historical Textiles and Apparel Collection, School of Human Ecology and as Senior Lecturer in that School. Her work in the Collection was a true joy, from working with the wonderful donors who made their amazing collections available to training her students to appreciate and understand the place of clothing in history, to creating amazing exhibits of pieces of the collection so that many more could enjoy them. She loved learning and she loved passing on that love and knowledge to any student with a desire to learn. She looked forward to participating many years in Explore UT which opened up the campus to families and students all over Texas so they could see the University as something that belonged to Texas and was there for all Texans and any willing student to enjoy. She worked as a tutor and mentor for the Athletic Department in her early years at UT, bringing all her friends and family to a love of UT sports, especially baseball. Many an afternoon and evening was spent at Disch-Falk Field watching the Longhorns play baseball. She loved the Lord, and considered teaching as not just a career, but a ministry, offering to her students and colleagues all the love and guidance she could give. After retirement, when developing her new “credentials,” Kay came up with a new title which summed up her spirit so well – she was, indeed, the “Glitter Specialist,” from her amazing artistic projects to her beautiful knitting designs and all creations in-between.

Kay leaves behind to share sweet memories her sister, Mary Etta Gerhardt (Austin Texas); and her sister Marla Giddens (McKinney, Texas), Marla’s sons Keith, his wife Brigitte, and their children Jackson and Mackenzie, Kevin Giddens and his children Jaina and Alex, and daughter-in-law Sandra Giddens and children Elisa, Hailey, Sergio, and Lucy; as well as a host of cousins and friends who made her life so wonderful and with whom she shared so much of herself. She was an amazing sister and daughter, and a devoted, loving and loyal friend.

There will be a time of visitation at Johnson's Funeral Home on Thursday, February 23, 2017 from 6:00-8:00 PM. Funeral services will be held at 2:00 PM on Friday, February 24, 2017 in Johnson's Funeral Chapel with interment to follow in the Johnson's Lawnhaven Memorial Gardens. Friends and family are encouraged to share photos and memories as well as sign the online guestbook at www.johnsons-funeralhome.com. Arrangements are under the direction of Johnson's Funeral Home of San Angelo.