Kay Shearin Lindley passed from this life on January 13th, 2022, and the world is a much darker and sadder place for her loss.
In 1 Corinthians 13: 4-13, the apostle Paul tells us, “Love is patient, love is kind. It does not envy, it does not boast, it is not proud. It does not dishonor others, it is not self-seeking, it is not easily angered, it keeps no record of wrongs. Love does not delight in evil but rejoices with the truth. It always protects, always trusts, always hopes, always perseveres. … And now these three remain: faith, hope and love. But the greatest of these is love.”
You would be hard pressed to find someone who lived these words more faithfully than Kay. She lived her life with the kind of love that warmed everyone around her and she will be deeply missed.
Kay was a long time resident of Roanoke Rapids.
She was born in Roanoke Rapids Hospital on August 23rd, 1944, daughter of Cullom and Retha Shearin.
She is survived by her sister, Gayle Koscho (George), with whom she was very close. Also, she is survived by her two stepchildren Robert Lindey (Ann), Christine Ferris, and a step-granddaughter Lindley Whitehead, and her niece Julie Courtwright (Eli).
Kay was born and raised in Roanoke Rapids, NC, where her family had lived for many generations.
As a child, she attended William R. Davie school back when all 12 grades were all one school. She graduated high school in 1962. Kay attended East Carolina University from 1962 until 1964 and 1966 to 1967, and Berry College from 1967 to 1968, graduating with a Bachelor’s degree in Business. She was married to Michael Ford from 1964 to 1971, and to Bertrand Hollowell Lindley Jr. from 1976 until his death in 2018.
From the time of their marriage, Bert and Kay lived in various places around the American South, with their longest stay being in Vicksburg, MS.
However, Kay and Bert returned to her roots in Roanoke Rapids in 1989 to care for her aging parents.
Kay worked for Halifax County Social Services from 1990 until her retirement in 2004. She was drawn to the job because she wanted her work to be helping others. Kay was close with many of her friends, both work and high school (The Davie Girls), and enjoyed visiting and having monthly luncheons together.
When you let the love in your heart shine in everything you do, and when you love others unreservedly, without armor, everyone around you can feel it. People fondly remember those who glow with love - and they are inspired by them. In this way, even small acts of love add up to change the world.
The legacy of a loving heart is the most valuable and lasting legacy one can leave behind. That is because each act of love spreads out like ripples through the world creating ever widening effects. In this way, even humble acts of kindness spread throughout communities, leaving them changed for the better.
Kay was always known for her loving nature and her desire to help those around her. Anyone who came to her could expect to find a tender heart and an open mind. Her love extended to animals as well. For most of her life she shared her home with several cats who were doted on and spoiled. Those of us whose lives she touched feel her loss keenly. But we hold on to the faith that now she is in a place where she feels as surrounded and uplifted by God’s love as we always felt by her love.
A graveside memorial service will be held on August 12, 2023 at 2pm in the Shearin family cemetery behind Bethlehem Baptist Church with Rev. Stan Lewis officiating.
In lieu of flowers, please send donations to The Humane Society of Eastern Carolina. Friends may sign the online register by visiting www.hockadayfs.com
Hockaday Funeral & Cremation Service is serving the Lindley family.