Kay Charlene Floyd's Obituary
Kay Charlene Floyd, 79, of Escondido, California, passed away peacefully at home with family on November 17, 2024, from an aggressive form of dementia.
Born on July 9, 1945, in Los Angeles, California, Kay was the daughter of the late James Cowgill and Doris Cowgill and was one of nine children. She graduated from San Gabriel Mission High School in San Gabriel, California in 1963 and continued with her college education in Pasadena. There, she completed environmental studies and earned an impressive certification as a “Master Gardener”.
Kay met her husband George Floyd through mutual friends. They married on May 14, 1966, and had two children. Kay became a single mother of young children and expertly managed motherhood and a challenging career.
Kay was hired by Pacific Telephone Company in the mid sixties. She started in an entry-level position and worked very hard to further her career. After many promotions within Switching and Network Engineering, she retired from AT&T in San Diego as an Engineering Manager. She was responsible for a team of Planning Engineers that planned facilities for all of Southern California. Her leadership, organization and people skills served her and her team very well.
In 1992, Kay had the good fortune of being offered an early retirement option. She was able to retire at the young age of 47 and pursue her many passions. She filled her retirement with those things she loved:
Entertaining family and friends
Gardening (she was so good at it!) Traveling (much of the US, Mexico, Caribbean, and Europe) Collecting art (she acquired an impressive collection from her travels) Reading Charity and volunteer work on community boards
Kay was also fulfilled her lifetime dream of living at the beach. She designed and built a beautiful home on the Oregon coast. Later, she relocated to Escondido to be closer to her family, her number one priority.
Kay is survived by her children Christopher Floyd and Lesley Floyd. Her surviving siblings are Lynda Etheridge, Ken Cowgill, Mary Ann (Missy) Baird Baron and Don Cowgill. She was a loving grandmother to Damien, Brooklyn, Keilah and Avi, and a loving great-grandmother to Evan.
Kay was preceded in death by her siblings Steve Cowgill, Bill Cowgill, John Cowgill and Jim Doyle.
Family and friends described Kay as strong, independent, kind, loyal, caring, and generous with her time, resources, and love. She will forever be missed and loved by her family and many, many friends.
Visitation/Viewing will be held on November 25, 2024, at Alhiser-Comer Mortuary, 225 S. Broadway, Escondido, California, 4-8 pm.
Graveside service will be held on November 26, 2024, at 12 pm, at Pacific View Memorial Park, 3500 Pacific View Drive, Corona Del Mar, California. A celebration of Kay’s life will follow and will be announced at the service.
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