Kay Stoye’s family members are inviting the community to help them celebrate her 100th birthday on Saturday, April 11 from 4 p.m. to 7 p.m. at St. Francis Episcopal Church, 250 Kane Creek Blvd. Everyone is welcome to say hello, but the family asks that people hold off on any gifts. Kay is believed to be Moab’s oldest resident, according to her son Mike Stoye. How did she make it this far? According to Mike Stoye, her caretaker Cyndia has helped, and so has her general disposition. “Yes, she has the genes, but she also has the most positive attitude of anyone you’ll ever meet,” he said. “You never hear a complaint from Kay, and there is plenty to grumble about after 100 years on this earth!” Kay is a descendant of Lord Kelvin, the famous British scientist who invented the refrigerator, among other things. She was born in Modesto, California on April 9, 1915. When World War II broke out, she joined the war effort and graduated from the first class of the U.S. Coast Guard’s SPARs women’s division. She rose to the position of Chief Moral Officer and headed her own “company.” Toward the end of the war, she met her late husband Frederick G. Stoye, and the couple moved to Moab around 1953 during the emerging uranium boom. Kay has now lived in Moab for more than 60 years. During that time, she co-founded the Moab chapter of Beta Sigma Phi, and she was an active member of the Episcopalian Church, the Elks Club and the Town and Country Club. [Photo courtesy of Mike Stoye]
