Carolyn Kay Johnson, known to everyone as Kay, passed away on April 27, 2026 at the age of 89, leaving behind a legacy of sharp wit, strong coffee, and the most impressive beehive hairdo anyone had ever seen.

She was preceded in death by her husband, Richard “Dick” Johnson, who no doubt had a two-olive martini waiting for her.

She is survived by her children, Dave Alberts (wife, Olivia), Kim Simons (husband, Ed); her step-children Mike Johnson (wife, Joy), Michelle Whinery (husband, Dale), and Shannon Wooster (Chivvis) (husband, Bob); her grandchildren, Jonathan, David, Calista, Gabriel, Vanessa, Kayla, John, Steven, Candria, Kristine, Robin, Mindy, Adam, Arin, Becka; her great-grandchildren, Kayliah and Elizabeth; her niece, Denise Castor; and a plethora of friends.

An Executive Secretary at Boeing, Kay brought the same precision and no-nonsense charm to her career that she brought to her many performances on stage, a game of Pinochle, or a hand of Cribbage. She was a devoted member of the Order of the Eastern Star and a woman who believed life was best lived with the top down on a convertible sportscar.

Her sense of adventure was the stuff of legend. She traveled to Peru, cruised the open seas, caught a Shakespeare Festival, and explored California, Detroit, Hawaii, and New York. She and Dick even took a trip to see the country in their new RV. Kay quickly realized camping was not her thing, but loved the rest of the adventure. On a trip to Albuquerque, she watched hot air balloons fill the sky and never quite stopped wishing she could have gone up in one herself.

At home, Kay could be found working on one of her many cross-stitch pieces, cooking from her beloved cookbooks, admiring a good lighthouse, testing her puzzle-solving skills watching Wheel of Fortune and Jeopardy, or settling in for an episode of Frasier, The Love Boat, The Six Million Dollar Man, and even Gunsmoke. Purple was her color, and everyone who knew Kay was well aware of that. A sharp one-liner was always her parting gift.

She will be deeply missed, warmly remembered, and honestly, a little hard to follow.

Her memorial service will be held at Phoenix Masonic Hall
1009 Main Street , Sumner, WA 98930 on Friday, June 5, 2026 at 11am.

In lieu of flowers, the family welcomes donations to Job’s Daughters International in her memory.