Catherine "Kay" J. Boylen

Kay was a highly competitive, inventive, imaginative and observant as a child. She was brought-up to be lady-like: gloves hats, posture, purse and pearls came with her from Iowa. She also gifted her daughters with a fondness for patent leather pumps and extensive vocabulary.

Along with her personal style came her valise full of ever present and sometimes hilarious “Iowa-isms.” All her children sometimes find themselves unwittingly repeating such phrases as: “Retreat is sometimes the better part of valor”; Nothing ventured, nothing gained” and the ubiquitous “Someone always sees what you do”. Adventure, graciousness and good judgment seemed to hold equal sway.

Her elementary education included piano and ballet lessons, balanced by swimming, ice skating and lessons at a local “Tourngemein”, a German gym which included learning to climb a free hanging rope. Kay was always curious about the people around her and so started to teach herself German in order to better understand what her team mates were saying. Of course this pleased her German American father who encouraged her to continue her language studies in high school and college. Her love of books and the arts prepared her for all kinds of competition. She won the high school talent show with her rendition of a Kate Smith ballad and landed a coveted place on the debate team. Her debate skills were rewarded when her team won a national title and a trip to Hollywood. Although she was not impressed by “tinsel town”, she did discover a lifelong love for travel.

At the University of Iowa, Kay studied drama, debate, languages, and history. In later years her double majors in romance languages and speech as well as her broad interest in many fields, brought her to teach a wide variety of subjects over 30 years at Centennial High School. In Debate, Speech, Spanish or English, her students got a history of each subject and its culture as part of their curriculum. Students would learn to cook Spanish, Mexican or even Argentine foods, consider how the history of those countries affected US History AND learn the language.

While at the University of Iowa, Kay made many lifelong friends as a member of Alpha Xi Delta and won membership in Phi Sigma Iota, a national honorary Romance Language Fraternity. Her family’s Scottish heritage was sparked when she took over as snare drummer in the University Highland Pipe Band when coeds were asked to replace the ROTC unit which left to join the war effort. She shared her knowledge of the secret pocket in the piper’s Feather Bonnet and weaned her children on her beloved bagpipe music and tales of Bobby Burns and Rob Roy.

Kay loved dancing to Big Band music. After all, that was how she met her dashing Navy Pilot, Tom Boylen at a USO dance. After they married, the couple moved to Oregon, Tom’s home where they finally found the house of their dreams in the Laurelhurst neighborhood, just two blocks from All Saints Catholic parish. Her faith in God and devotion to Our Mother of Perpetual Help and St. Jude were touchstones for life challenges. It took more than a few Novenas to procure the big gray house on Flanders.

Life in the Boylen family was full of adventure. While Kay water and snow skied and joined “Lucky Pierre” Tom in Scuba Diving, she drew the line ad diving on ship wrecks for buried treasure. Instead, she made her famous potato salad and said novenas on the shore until his safe return. Kay was active for many years with the Reserve Officers Wives and was Vice-president and membership director for the Women’s Army Navy League. She hosted her share of Tea Parties and fundraisers for charity with grace and imagination.

Tom’s work during their early years as a sales representative for several lines of children’s apparel sparked Kay’s interest in fashion and led her to success as a Tea Room and Hat model for Meier and Frank. During their annual junkets to New York City, Kay and Tom enjoyed the shows on Broadway. These experiences fed her talents as a seamstress, fashioning reproductions of the latest styles for herself and her children, she was also the perfect mom to teach costume making and set design to her children.

The birth of their only son, John meant new challenges and things to learn. Kay was always proud of her son’s accomplishments. She enjoyed his adventures climbing mountains and skiing with his dad and his hard work at different jobs while still in school. His business degree from the University of Oregon, his marriage and his three lovely children brought her much joy.

Kay’s boundless energy, curiosity and voluminous vocabulary allowed her to educate and inspire. She wanted everyone to enjoy all the world had to offer. Even on a tight budget, Sunday car rides included discussions of community architecture. The terms Mansard roof and Finial became parts of our vocabulary. She never passed by an historical marker or castle without a stop to learn its story. Another Sunday drive could include a stop at the airport and an opportunity for Tom to critique take-off and landing skills as well as an education on airplane models, navigation terms, or discussions of places to visit in far off lands.

One could hardly say that Kay retired when she left her career at Centennial. She continued to teach through tutoring and was a key contributor to a series of cable television programs produced by “senior citizens” at Mt. Hood Community College. She did a great deal of work behind the camera as well as in front with an impressive catalogue of interviews on current events, city history, and notable community figures.

Even in her later years, Kay delighted in meeting people and speaking other languages. She volunteered for the Information Tent at the Nike World Masters Games held in 1998 in Vancouver Washington and staffed the merchandise table for many years at the Annual Row for the Cure founded by her daughter Kathy. Kay researched and wrote the historically accurate story of her character so that she could join her daughter Mary at Society for Creative Anachronism events. She collaborated with her daughter Beth in writing a series of mysteries and delighted in disposing of Beth’s old boyfriends.

Her final home at the Courtyard at Mt. Tabor brought her new friends and an annual opportunity to practice her art of disguise each Halloween. She delighted in making herself unrecognizable and won many costume contests.

Kay’s love, curiosity and zest for living life to its fullest was with her to her last days and will ever inspire all who crossed her path and got to feel what love was behind her beautiful blue eyes.

We will have her always in our hearts and our lives will always reflect the lessons she taught us.