John Mills Kay

John Mills (Kujawski) Kay
Sparks, NV
John, or Jack to many who knew him, was born March 28, 1933 in Sayre, PA to Francis "Frank" and Sara Kujawski (Kay). He was predeceased by Stephanie "Ann" Kay, his loving wife of 47 years, in 2008 with whom, as a younger man, shared a love of roller skating at Joycrest (where he and mom first met), bowling at Rossi Lanes, and Johnny Mathis songs. He is survived by his children: Susan (Rev. David) Swartwood of Elmira, NY, Deborah (Rich) Mabie, of Columbia, South Carolina, John (Lynette) Kay of Blossvale, NY, Stephanie Neder of Sparks, NV and Grandchildren: Kris (Valerie) Cox, Megan Swartwood, Katie (Michael) Ragan, Josh (Shanna) Swartwood, Brittany Mettrick, Alexa Mettrick and Andrew Neder. Also survived by 9 Great Grandchildren.
Formerly of Elmira and Horseheads, NY, John moved to Sparks, Nevada in 2020. Having been a diligent worker all his life, he served in the Naval Reserves, and was employed by General Electric in Elmira ('The Foundry') and subsequently Hardinge Brothers in Elmira and Horseheads, from where he then retired.
John had a kind demeanor, and never missed an opportunity to share his sense of wit and humor. He was incredibly handy and resourceful, using everyday materials to create useful gadgets that our family would utilize around the house ... many times we reinforced the fact that dad 'should have had a patent for that'! He also loved puttering around in his yard which he landscaped by hand, nature, 'animules', and going for daily walks. He thoroughly enjoyed 'chewing the fat' as he referred to it, with friends at McDonalds, high school reunion gatherings, and Hardinge Brothers retirement get-togethers at Curly's Chicken House. 'Going to the races with Dad' at Chemung Speedrome brings warm memories to us as a family, Euchre remained one of his favorite group activities, and most recently, he enjoyed attending MeetUp dinner events in Sparks, where his presence will be dearly missed! He loved his family, friends, his beloved cat Sweetie, and the Lord Jesus Christ, celebrating his faith at Faith Tabernacle Church in Horseheads. An avid New York Giants and Buffalo Bills fan, John was looking forward to watching Eli Manning's induction into the Hall of Fame later this month - he will now enjoy the best seat in the house! Always one to love the warm weather, he would head outside, sigh, look up to the sky and say, "aaahhhhh .... feel that sunshine!" Our family will continue to feel his warmth in our hearts forever. To the best Dad in the world ... 'did we ever tell you we love you?!' Until we meet again ...
The family will welcome relatives and friends to Sullivan's Funeral Home, 365 E. Franklin St. at Rt. 13, Horseheads, NY on Saturday, September 25, 2021 for John's Funeral Service at 12 noon. For your health and safety of others we request you to wear a mask. He will be laid to rest along side his wife at Forest Lawn Memorial Park immediately following.