Kay Avant

On June 11, 2025, at Providence Hospital ICU in Waco, Texas, Patricia Kay Avant, 83, passed away in the loving presence of family after a brave battle with CIDP. She was an amazing woman with a servant’s heart, a pioneer and standout in the field of nursing, a leader in her church and community, and her memory will be cherished by so many. Her memorial service will begin at 10:00 a.m. on Saturday, June 28th, at Lake Shore Baptist Church in Waco, Texas. The service will also be streamed virtually through the church web/YouTube page.

Kay was born on August 15, 1941, in Dallas, Texas, to Lem and Evelyn Coalson. She grew up in Oak Cliff and graduated from South Oak Cliff High School in 1959. She then pursued a degree in nursing. In 1961, she met her one true love, Gayle R. Avant, at a dance in Austin. She later married him in September, 1963. Then they moved to North Carolina where Gayle pursued his PhD and Kay worked on her Master of Science in Nursing. In 1969, they started a family when they adopted their twin daughters in Raleigh, N.C. They spent a little time in Ohio after Gayle got his PhD. In 1971, they decided to return to Texas. Kay and Gayle took a houseboat down the Mississippi River with twin 2 year olds. Kay described that as an adventure of a lifetime. They made their home in Woodway, Texas when Gayle took a position at Baylor University. Kay loved to travel, for work and pleasure, and visited wonderful places across the globe. Additionally, Kay had a true love of music as a child and throughout her life. Kay was instrumental in bringing Opera to Waco for several years. She joined the community choir each year to sing Handel’s Messiah and was a member of the choir at Lake Shore Baptist for over 50 years. Kay served in so many roles at the church throughout the years. She served on numerous search committees for pastors, choir directors, organists and assistant pastors. Additionally, Kay served as a deacon throughout her years at Lake Shore, even serving as the lead deacon. Wherever there was a need, she was quick to jump in and lend a helping hand.

Kay's accomplishments in the field of nursing were varied and extensive. She completed the three-year Registered Nurse program at Methodist Hospital of Dallas School of Nursing in 1962. The next year, Kay earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Texas Christian University. While Gayle was working on his PhD in North Carolina, Kay earned a Masters of Science in Nursing from the University of North Carolina-Chapel Hill in 1965. Gayle and Kay eventually moved to Texas where she finished her PhD in Nursing from Texas Woman’s University in 1978 while teaching nursing at McLennan Community College in Waco. Kay then accepted a Professorship position at the University of Texas at Austin, where she was tenured through 2005. While at the University of Texas in Austin, Kay joined with LorraineWalker, in coauthoring Strategies for Theory Construction in Nursing, which extended to six editions and quickly became a well-known guide for those seeking doctorates in nursing. The publication is used widely in the states and abroad by graduate nursing students, leading to numerous short-term teaching opportunities. Kay was a visiting professor in Thailand from 2015 through 2020 and Vietnam over a period of several years. Kay was honored to complete two Fulbright Professorships. The first Fulbrightwas in Oslo, Norway and later in Chiang Mai, Thailand. She also completed post-doctoral training in Melbourne, Australia at Royal Melbourne Institute of Technology.

In the U.S. she served as President, Vice President and various chair positions on the North American Nursing Diagnosis Association later known as NANDA International. With these professional accomplishments in hand, in 2005 she accepted the Roger L. and Laura D. Zeller Distinguished Professorship at the University of Texas Health Science Center in San Antonio serving as professor and department chair. She continued her professional activities here and abroad until her retirement in January 2016. Although retired, she remained active in the field. Most recently, she received the Living Legend Award from NANDA International at the 2025 conference in Portugal.

Survivors include her husband, Gayle Avant, her sister, Lana Malone and husband Mike, her twin daughters, Samantha Foss and husband Kevin and Celia Drews and husband Stephen, grandchildren Coalson and Angela Foss, Paige Mann and husband Jamie, Kayleigh Aulin and husband Charlie, and great grandchildren Braylee, Dalynn and Hallie Mann, Luke and Sophia Aulin, a niece and a nephew and many cousins.

Kay was a loving mother, sister, wife, colleague and child of God. She showed us how to be a hardworking professional, how to live, and most importantly how to love. Her presence will be truly missed.

The family would like to extend their gratitude to the kind and compassionate nurses and providers at Providence ICU. They would also like to thank the many friends and colleagues that reached out with thoughts, prayers and loving memories.

In lieu of flowers, memorials may be made to the Kay C. Avant, RN, PhD, FNI, FAAN Endowed Scholarship for PhD Studies in Nursing at UT Health Science Center San Antonio, Lake Shore Baptist Church or the church of your choice.