Katherine “Kay” (Zayac) Schupp of Simsbury, CT, passed away peacefully on September 30, 2019, joining her beloved husband, August Henry “Bud” Schupp, Jr., in Heaven. Born in Troy, NY on July 9, 1918, she was the daughter of the late Alexander and Mary (Messick) Zayac, who emigrated to the United States from Ukraine. Kay was very proud of her Ukrainian heritage and spoke the language fluently. She particularly loved holidays and cherished the time she spent sharing Ukrainian traditions and foods with her family and friends. She could sit for hours telling stories of her childhood and all that she had experienced during her long and full life. Kay loved her coffee and sweets and delighted in clipping newspaper articles and coupons. She especially enjoyed keeping up with the comings and goings of the Royal Family. She loved listening to chorale, classical and symphonic music; radio in the old days, and watching the news on TV. Kay loved to dress up for special occasions and church. In January, 1937, Kay graduated first in her class from the National Training School for Certified Nurses in Albany, NY, beginning her nursing career in the “pre-penicillin” years. She worked at various hospitals and nursing homes in the Troy, NY area. At the end of WWII, while raising her boys, she worked the night shift in the Leonard Hospital and The Eddy Health Care Facility. While attending nursing school, Kay fell in love with Bud and in 1936 they eloped because nursing students were forbidden to be married. They eventually settled near Kay’s family in Troy where they raised their two boys, Gary and David. Kay, Bud and the boys were very active members of St. John’s Episcopal Church on First Street in Troy. The boys sang in the choir, Bud was on the vestry and Kay volunteered in various capacities. She also served as a docent for the Albany Symphony annual house tour and volunteered for the American Heart Association. Over the years, Kay and Bud made several moves with General Electric. They landed in Cincinnati, OH, West Hartford CT, Valley Forge PA, Huntsville, Alabama, and Picayune, Mississippi, eventually returning to the Albany area and making their home in Loudonville, NY. Kay and Bud loved to travel and took a sweeping tour of Europe together. After Bud passed in 1980, Kay remained in the Loudonville area for many years. She traveled to Finland, Ukraine and Portugal as well as California to visit her son, Gary. She enjoyed experiencing the nuances of American life and culture in each of these places. In 2018, Kay moved from Colonie, NY, to the Virginia Connolly Residence in Simsbury, CT in order to be closer to her family. A few months later she celebrated her 100th birthday in style under a beautiful white tent, surrounded by 100+ guests and was honored with a special performance by the Marquis of Granby Jr. Ancient Fyfe and Drum Corps. Kay was very happy during her time at Virginia Connolly. Her family would like to express their deepest gratitude for the loving care she received from her aides Edyta, Hanna, and Francisca, who affectionately called her “Kasia”. Kay leaves her sons August Henry (Gary), III. of Fort Myers, FL and David Alexander of West Granby, CT. She was immensely proud of their personal and professional accomplishments, and their families. Kay dearly loved her four grandchildren, Kristen (Ted) Cormier, Laura (Keith) Fetridge, Jamie (Heather) Schupp and Christopher (Colleen) Schupp and she adored her ten great-grandchildren, Haley, Hanna and Teddy Cormier, Emma, Lily and Zoe Fetridge, Connor and Zachary Schupp and Lucas and Griffin Schupp. She also leaves her sisters, Marion Locke, age 99, of Watervliet, NY and Alexandra Bilyard, 95, of Hayden, Idaho, and four nephews. Kay was pre-deceased by her daughters-in-law, Candace (2016), Sandra (2015) and her grandson, David Alexander, Jr. (1988). A celebration of life will be held at St. John’s Church in Troy, NY on Saturday, November 2, 2019 at 11:00A.M. with burial following immediately at Albany Rural Cemetery. The family respectfully requests no flowers. Donations to honor Kay’s memory may be made to: Community Scholarship Association of Granby (CSAG)-David A. Schupp, Jr. Scholarship, c/o 64 Higley Road, West Granby, CT 06090. Arrangements are by Hayes-Huling & Carmon Funeral Home, Granby, CT, www.CarmonFuneralHome.com.
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