Kay Frances Lenear was a faithful and fierce, curious and devoted woman. She was often sharp, at times spontaneous, and always stubborn. She was a sister, mother, grandmother and wife. She was a hands-on professional: she poured her passion into her government work, her ministry work, and, especially, her educational programming, where she spent about two decades dedicated to the literary improvement and academic excellence of suburban Cleveland public school students. She loved to shop, even excessively so. She is part of the line (started by her mother) and legacy of single mothers faced with troubling (even traumatic and terrifying) circumstances, who made difficult decisions to improve the lives of their families. She, like the familial women before and after her, overcame extreme obstacles, over time perhaps forgetting all the ways she picked herself back up and championed her children. In her later years, Kay would proudly wear her titles as Nana, Widow, Red Hat Grande Dame, and maybe even Dog Mom to Chloe (2007-2022). She would spend her days binge-watching shows new and old, listening to religious or romantic novel audiobooks, staying a bit too “up to date” on current events via Facebook, still enthusiastically shopping (although more so online), or whipping together a snack in the kitchen, practically with her eyes closed. She loved African Safari animals, purple clothing (with a red hat!), and cracking open her snacks during the quietest moments in the movie theater. She was a Virginia girl till the end, particularly as her country accent seeped back into her speech in her older age.

Born September 27, 1947 in the town of Martinsville, of Henry County, Virginia, Kay was raised on ancestral land that had been in the family since emancipation. Her parents were Robert Draper and Savannah Draper; a single mother and survivor, Savannah (1926-2002), was dedicated to raising her children out of harm’s way. Kay, alongside older brother Robert Jr. (Bobby), and younger brother Clyde Thomas (1950-2013) [as well as younger brother Kenneth Wayne, who succumbed to SIDS], spent their childhood exploring, growing and developing on the family land. Fond memories from this scarce and often troublesome time include buffing the floors after they were waxed by skating across them in socks. Kay would graduate from George Washington Carver High School in Fieldale, Virginia in 1965, and attend the Agricultural and Technical College of North Carolina.

Kay spent her freshman and sophomore years at NCAT, where she met Thomas Rivers (1944-2009), who she would marry in Morehead, North Carolina, on October 14, 1967, at age 20. At the time, Kay was pregnant with her first child and moved to Columbus, Georgia with Thom to live with him and his family. Thomas J. Rivers was born on May 26, 1968. Although she was dealing with betrayal in her marriage, Kay looked back on the time with Thom’s family, with Grandma Rivers, as the happiest in her life, always recalling how enduring and sweet Grandma Rivers was to her. Nevertheless, Kay was pregnant again, and, making the brave choice to prioritize and protect her children, moved back home to Virginia. On September 21, 1969, Dawn M. Rivers was born. Kay had birthed a daughter at 21, just like her mother had, and just like her daughter would. It would be these uniquely connected women, her daughter and granddaughter, each separated by 21 years, that would be by her side in her final moments.

Kay always said that she came to Cleveland “for college and to live in a city”, and she did exactly that! A couple years after Dawn was born, Kay moved her family to Cleveland, where they lived with her aunt, Westova Goins (1921-2020), for around five years. During this time, Kay transferred her credits from NCAT, and earned her associates from Cuyahoga Community College in 1973 and her business administration bachelors from Cleveland State University in 1975. Kay then worked as an assistant operations manager at the City of Cleveland human resources department, where she would meet John Henry Lenear of Arkansas, an advertising executive for the local Call & Post newspaper. They would move in together in East Cleveland, and wed on July 2, 1978 in Las Vegas, Nevada. She would remain married to the love of her life for the rest of his, happily adventuring the world together, both with a sacred second chance in life. John was the Vice President of advertising for the Call & Post, a long-time editorial voice in Cleveland, a loving husband and man of faith, and a greatly adored grandpa and step-father. He passed on July 14, 2006. Kay would never remarry.

Kay finished out the seventies as an apprenticeship coordinator for Cleveland Public Schools, and then became the manager and liaison for the Cuyahoga County department of development. From 1985 to 1995, Kay went on a ministry sabbatical, founding the Christian women’s group and business Deborah Women Arise. She edited for and published in the free Christian journal Heart Attitudes, and she was the corresponding secretary in the executive committee of Women’s Aglow International. Kay even became a guest columnist for the Call & Post, using this opportunity to minister weekly, with spiritually uplifting articles, personal essays, and devotions. In sabbatical, she dreamed of becoming a fiction writer, wanting to step into the spiritual, optimistic, and moving world of created stories. Instead, she earned a different, permanent title: Nana. Kay officially became a grandmother on October 3, 1990, when Dawn gave birth to Brittany J. Sullivan.

After sabbatical, Kay returned to the world of education, working as a district program and volunteer coordinator for the South Euclid-Lyndhurst city school district, as well as for the Cuyahoga County education service center. Passionate, and already with a record of accomplishments, Kay facilitated educational projects like National Ohio Reads, Early Literary Improvement, Math Counts, and the After-School Homework Assistance Program. She worked with MAC (Minority Achievement Committee) Scholars and students in AVID (Advancement Via Individual Determination) programs to help them thrive academically with a focus on college and career success. She recruited and trained hundreds of volunteers as tutors, including in her group Widows and Volunteers, which was for women over 50 to provide assistance in public schools.

In retirement, Kay started and became Grande Dame of her Red Hat charter. This community she formed was a point or pride, a place of comfort, and a needed sisterhood. They would travel together, even to Hawai’i. Kay would continue to travel with her family until she could just eagerly await the stories from their adventures. Her daughter and caretaker, Dawn, travels and sees the world for the both of them, now.

Kay is survived by her brother Bobby & his children: Robert III and Cherie Draper, niece Lynette Draper, cousins Anthony, Arthur and Lucinda Goins, her son Tommy, her daughter Dawn & her children: Brittany and Brenton Sullivan. She is remembered and loved by her family and friends, carried with them always—the gift that is memory and experience. May she be honored by prioritizing medical and mental health, asking for help when needed, and allowing others to support and care.

We love you, Kay, Mom, Nana