Kathy Shay

On October 14, Kathy Shay, 72, of Columbia, MD, passed away. Ms. Shay was born on July 8, 1942 in Louisville, KY. She spent her childhood in Louisville and Worthington Valley, MD and graduated from Hannah Moore Academy in 1960. She went on to major in Mathematics at Transylvania University in Lexington, KY, where she was a member of the Phi Mu sorority. After college, Ms. Shay held positions in software engineering and quality control at Westinghouse Electric Corporation in Linthicum, MD; IBM in Silicon Valley, CA; and CSC in Rockville, MD. She was one of the first female software engineers to be employed at Westinghouse. Ms. Shay was an active member of the Hannah Moore and Transylvania University Alumni Associations, helping to organize luncheons and reunions with her classmates. She was also a member of the Women's Club of Glyndon, where she served as President from 2008-2010. In her free time, Kathy enjoyed playing bridge; going to horse races; knitting and needlepoint work; playing with her cat, Kali; traveling; and spending time with her family and friends all around the country, to whom she was incredibly devoted. Ms. Shay is predeceased by her parents, Harry Lewis Shay and Elizabeth Ann Shay (nee Clubb); her companion of 34 years, Edward L. Nelson, Jr.; and her sister, JoAnn Shay O'Neill. She is survived by her niece, Shayna O'Neill; brother-in-law, Robert J. O'Neill; and her cousins in Kentucky.

The family will receive friends from 3-5 and 7-9pm on Wednesday, October 22 at the Eckhardt Funeral Chapel, P.A., 11605 Reisterstown Rd, Owings Mills, MD 21117, with a funeral service at 10:30am on Thursday, October 23 at the Glyndon United Methodist Church, 4713 Butler Rd, Glyndon, MD 21071. Interment will follow in Evergreen Memorial Gardens. In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Glyndon United Methodist Church or The Baltimore Animal Rescue and Care Shelter (BARCS), 301 Stockholm St, Baltimore, MD 21230. Online condolences may be offered at www.eckhardtfuneralchapel.com