Kathleen Doyle McManus Minton died peacefully in her sleep with her husband at her side on April 14, 2023, after a short illness. Kay grew up in Simsbury, Connecticut, where her parents ran a corner drug store and soda fountain. She and her two sisters were educated in Simsbury and Hartford, where they were active in the Catholic church and the broader community and enjoyed water skiing at their lake cabin in the summers. After graduating from Mount St. Joseph College, Kay married Floyd McManus in 1966. She began her career in nutrition services working in hospitals, but quickly put it aside to work as a full-time Navy wife, and soon a young mother, supporting Floyd’s career. Kay and Floyd moved numerous times with the Navy, eventually landing on the West Coast in Poulsbo, Washington.
Following Floyd’s retirement from the Navy, Kay began working outside the home again, focusing in food and nutrition services for public school districts. She worked in the Belfair, Bainbridge Island, and Port Townsend school districts before settling in North Kitsap, where she was the Director of Food and Nutrition Services for many years. She loved organizing lessons for students, advocating for better nutrition in schools at the state and national levels, and planning parties and recognition for her school food service team. During summers, Kay and Floyd took their daughters on long sailing trips around Puget Sound. They were active with the Poulsbo Yacht Club for many years.
After Floyd’s untimely death in 1997, Kay remarried to Capt. David C. Minton III, USN Ret. Kay and Dave enjoyed traveling, snowbirding between Washington State and Southern California, taking cruises, sailing, and visiting Loreto, Mexico. They eventually settled in Olympia, Washington, where they enjoyed time with family, especially Kay’s grandson, taking care of their pets, and getting to know their neighbors.
Throughout her life, the constant themes of friendliness, caring, and generosity animated Kay’s relationships. She had an old-school sense of community, which included knowing and supporting her neighbors, delivering dinners and other acts of kindness to people in need, volunteering, and keeping in touch. She remembered names and life stories; never met a baby she didn’t want to hold, a dog she didn’t want to pet, or a person she didn’t want to learn more about. She did stuff, whether it was sewing her young daughters’ Easter dresses (and coats!) or marching in the pet parade with her beloved dog Emma and her grandson, or delivering cones of hand-picked flowers on May day. She celebrated all the holidays. She was known for having a great smile, singing along with the radio, and always being willing to lend a hand.
Kay is survived by her husband, Dave Minton, and his children and grandchildren; as well as by her daughters, Elizabeth McManus and Christine McManus. She is predeceased by her parents, James and Wilma Doyle; sisters, Mary Martin and Margaret Beetz; and by her first husband, Floyd McManus.
In lieu of flowers the family asks that you remember Kay by reaching out in friendliness and community to one of your neighbors or an old friend. Memorial donations may be made to the Humane Society of Southwest Washington.
Please share memories at www.FuneralAlternatives.org.
