September 16, 1947 – October 6, 2019
Kay Bender passed away on October 6, 2019 in Bakersfield, CA at age 72. She was a lifelong resident of Bakersfield and graduate of North High School class of 1965. She was preceded in death by her father, Glenn Kramer, and mother, Maudie Irene Kramer.
Kay is survived by her loving husband of 34 years, Gregory Bender; her sister, Glenna and brother-in-law Bill Guerra of Bakersfield; her niece Michelle (Chris) Mormann, 1 great niece, Kimya, and 2 great nephews, Conner and Byron, of Bakersfield; 2 step-daughters, Joy (Gary) Scarborough of Palm Desert, CA and Kely (Brian) Higgins of Henderson, NV; many grandchildren that she loved as her own: grandsons Brandon (Amanda) and Jaron of Henderson, NV, and Vincent of Palm Desert, CA; granddaughters Lauren of Conrow, TX, Brianna of San Diego, CA, Brooke of Oceanside, CA, and Nicole of Palm Desert, CA.
Kay had many lifelong friends she stayed in close contact with and they knew they could always count on her with her deep compassion and love for others. She had a love of family and home. She also had a love for fashion and began her career in retail sales at Brock’s Department Store in downtown Bakersfield in the early 1970’s. After many years she retired from May Company in the early 1990’s.
Kay was devoted to her faith as a Jehovah’s Witness her entire life. She never let her limitations of chronic health issues hinder her attendance to weekly Sunday meetings at Kingdom Hall or her daily Bible readings, which showed by her deep spirituality with her faith.
Some of Kay’s favorite places to visit were Morrow Bay and San Diego. Kay had a natural knack at letter writing; those who were fortunate enough to receive correspondence from her know this first hand. Another favorite past time of Kay’s was her Monday night phone call with her sister, Glenna.
A graveside service for family and friends will be held at Hillcrest Memorial Park & Mortuary in Bakersfield, CA on Friday, October 25, 2019, at 11:00 am, with reception to follow on site at Hillcrest.
SHARE OBITUARY
v.1.8.18