Kay Elizabeth Menius

She was born in Norfolk, Va., to Rev. I.M. Ellis and Lulawill Brown Ellis. At the age of two, she and her family moved to Gastonia, NC, when her father became minister at First Presbyterian Church. She attended grammar school there and began piano lessons. It was the start of a lifelong love of the piano and music.

When she was 13, the family moved to Knoxville, Tenn., when her father accepted a new position in the Christian education field. After graduating high school, she attended the University of Tennessee on a scholarship sponsored by the Knoxville Symphony Orchestra and played timpani in the Orchestra.

During her college years, she spent her summers working in Michigan at a resort, where she met her future husband, Jack Menius, who was also a student at UT.

About a year and a half later, they were married and moved to Richmond, Va., where Kay attended the Presbyterian School of Christian Education.

In 1961, after Jack completed his dental training, they moved to Raleigh, NC. She was a stay-at-home mother of three children, manager of a small horse stable and district commissioner of the Raleigh Triangle Branch of the United States Pony Club.

Kay loved to garden, attaining her Master Gardener certification. She created beauty all around the home she and Jack shared for 53 years, and today, that beauty lives on in the gardens of family and friends who benefited from her sharing of plants and cuttings.

Kay was an avid reader, lifelong swimmer and dedicated musician, especially in her church.

When Kay’s third child went to college, she accepted a position at Raleigh’s White Memorial Presbyterian Church as pastoral assistant. In her nearly 60 years as an active member of White Memorial, she attended and led Bible classes, sang alto in the choir and accompanied one of the children’s choirs on piano. She participated in numerous committees and served as an elder.

In 2014, Kay and Jack moved to Glenaire Retirement Community in Cary, NC, where she continued her music, gardening, reading and other volunteer activities. She entertained the residents by playing piano in the dining room during lunch, for Vespers, and in her home. She also shared her love of gardening by helping with the landscaping of Glenaire.

Kay and Jack were married for 62 years. She is survived by Jack and three children: Merry Kay Leithead, Suzanne Menius, and Alan Menius and his wife Deborah, seven grandchildren, sister Joan Fulton of Cincinnati and brother David Ellis of Virginia Beach.

Kay brought grace to all that she did, and she was a gift to everyone who knew her. She always took the time to listen and to help out if she could. She demonstrated her faith throughout her life, always giving of herself, her time and her talents.

Gifts in Kay’s memory may be made to White Memorial Presbyterian Church or Glenaire Retirement Community. A memorial service will be held at a later date.

Online condolences may be made at www.BrownWynneCary.com