David Kay, Jr.

David Kay, Jr. died peacefully on November 29, 2019 at Serenity House with his family by his side. He was born in Peace Dale, Rhode Island, March 12, 1934 to David Kay and Isabel Dick Kay, both Scottish immigrants. David & his younger brother John, and their parents moved to Santa Barbara from Rhode Island, in November,1942. The brothers attended Roosevelt Elem. School, La Cumbre JHS, and Santa Barbara High. At SBHS David participated in Track & Field as a high jumper, played Varsity Basketball & was elected Vice-President of SBHS during his Jr. Year. Upon graduation from SBHS in 1952 David entered UCSB, where he majored in History and earned his BA degree in 1956. He later earned his Masters’ Degree in Education Administration while attending Univ. of Southern California. In the summer of 1961 David met Martha Goolsby, who would become his bride the following summer. The birth of their sons David, & James completed their family. The couple celebrated their 57th wedding anniversary in July of 2019. After teaching for 2 years in Orange County, David was hired in 1963 to teach U.S. & World History classes at Santa Barbara High. He enjoyed instructing his students at SBHS and later at the newly constructed Dos Pueblos H.S. During the next 35 years of his teaching career, David worked diligently to make his classes challenging, memorable, interesting, and enjoyable. For several years in the afternoons he would become Coach Kay and share his skills & love for Basketball with his 10th grade “B” basketball players who aspired to play on JV & Varsity. David was truly grateful for the many years of friendship & good times with his colleagues on both campuses. (Social Studies Dept. Beethoven’s Birthday gatherings at Peter Van Dynwick’s each year in June meant summer was nigh.)

Family summer vacations were spent driving up Hwy. 395, in a VW Van, camping in the Eastern Sierras, hiking the trails, and fishing the lakes and rivers from Rock Creek to Bridgeport. These trips often included meeting friends & family members in the woods & sharing stories around a campfire at the end of each day. In retirement, hiking the trails around Santa Barbara and long walks in the neighborhood were an important part of David’s daily routine. He also enjoyed reading, gardening, serving as an usher at El Montecito Presbyterian Church, and volunteering on various church projects during his 57 years of ELMO membership. David was a kind father, teacher, and companion to his sons, David and Jamie. loved being Grandpa “D” to his grandchildren Garrett 22, and Camryn 16, proudly watching them compete in sports & supporting their studies which also included a family trip to Washington, D.C. during Spring Break in March, 2015. David is survived by his wife Martha, sons David and James (Mary), his brother John (Edith) & niece Mary, his grandchildren Garrett and Camryn, brother-in-law Paul (Kai), and sisters-in-law Margaret Vincent, and Mary Goolsby. Our family would like to express their gratitude to the Doctors and nurses @ Cottage Hospital, Cottage Emergency, Sansum Clinic, and Serenity House for their compassion and care during this past year. David will be dearly missed by his loving wife, family, close friends, and former students.
A Celebration of Life and Memorial Service is planned for 2:00pm, January 18, 2020 @ El Montecito Presbyterian Church. In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation to El Montecito Presbyterian Church 1455 E. Valley Rd., Santa Barbara, CA 93108, or to your favorite charity in David’s memory.