She was born on Nov. 12, 1939, to Joseph Ditzler "Joe" and Helen Frances (Ruttgen) Columbia at the farm home of her late grandparents, Leo C. and Myrtle V. Ruttgen, located between Chetopa and Oswego.
During her junior and senior years in high school, she was a cashier for Warwick's Grocery Store in Chetopa. She graduated with the Chetopa High School Class of 1957. Upon graduation, she worked for Southwestern Bell Telephone Co. as a switchboard operator in Independence.
She married James Belknap in 1958 and had three children. They later divorced.
On Nov. 6, 1981, the Rev. Carol Holden united Kay and Robert D. "Bob" Allison Jr. in marriage at Miami, Okla. He survives of the home.
Through the years, she worked as a bookkeeper for The Independent Observer in Oswego, and later for USD 504 as both clerk of the board of education and secretary to the late superintendent, Eugene F. Burke.
She had lived most of her life in the Chetopa area, with the exception of living at Leisure Shores on Grand Lake in Oklahoma for 19 years. Ill health forced her early retirement from the accounting department at Shangri-La Resort. She and her husband, Bob, returned to Oswego on March 31, 2004, to be closer to their family.
She was a previous member of the Chetopa United Methodist Church, where she had been a Sunday school teacher, served on the administrative board and sang in the choir. She transferred her membership to the Mound Valley United Methodist Church on July 25, 2004. She was a past mother advisor to the Rainbow for Girls and was recognized for distinguished services by the International Order of the Rainbow for Girls and awarded a lifetime membership from The Supreme Assembly into the Grand Cross of Color in 1969. She was selected one of America's Outstanding Young Women in 1971.
She was a lifetime member of the Order of Eastern Star, Purcell Chapter No. 110, past worthy matron, grand teller and sang in the Grand Choir for several years. She was a member of the Bryant-Sykes VFW Auxiliary No. 3399 in Oswego and had been active in both the Leisure Shores Property Owners Association and Water System, serving as secretary/treasurer, until ill health forced her to resign. She was an avid fisherman and flower gardener and enjoyed spending time with her loving family.
Survivors also include her mother, Helen Columbia of Oswego; a son, Joe Belknap of Chetopa; two daughters, Debbie (Belknap) Fouts and her husband, Dean, of Mound Valley and Kim Belknap of Chetopa; two stepsons, Donnie Allison and his wife, Janie, of Oswego and Mike Allison and his wife, Susan, of Parsons; a stepdaughter, Kim Allison and her friend, Colon Adkins, of Dennis; six grandchildren, Heather (Fouts) Duke and her husband, Chris, of Oswego, Erica (Fouts) Deweese and her husband, Roman, of Independence, Matthew Fouts of Mound Valley, Josh Belknap and his wife, Ashley, of Parsons, Amanda Morillo and her husband, Jim, of Fort Scott and B.J. Minor of Oswego; six stepgrandchildren, Grant Allison and his wife, Cheri, of El Dorado, Bobbi Allison and Spence Allison, both of Parsons, Shawn Allison and his wife, Lindsey, of Columbus, Beth Ann (Allison) Walsh and her husband, Jacob, of Gardner and Jeff Allison of Lenexa; six great-grandchildren; two stepgreat-grandchildren; a brother, Danny Columbia and his wife, Joyce, of Baxter Springs; a sister, Evelyn Houck and her husband, Frank, of Grove, Okla.; two sisters-in-law, Millie Stice of Oswego and Inez Bowman of Grove, Okla.; and numerous nieces and nephews.
She was preceded in death by her father.
The service will be at 2 p.m. Friday at Mound Valley United Methodist Church. Burial will be in Oswego Cemetery. The family will receive friends from 7 to 8 p.m. today at Bath-Forbes-Hoffman Funeral Home in Chetopa.
Memorials are suggested to Mound Valley Methodist Church and may be left at or sent to the funeral home, P.O. Box 346, Chetopa, 67336.
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