BIOGRAPHY

Downing Kay was born in Baltimore, Maryland, USA, on 23 November 1907, to parents Robert Starke Jett (1870–1968) and Lillian Downing (1874–1963). She had four siblings: Robert Samuel Jett (1901–1990), Dr. Page Covington Jett (1905–1990), Lillian “Grandy” Stevens (1911–2013), and Edward Lee Jett (1917–2008). She grew up in a rowhouse in the Walbrook section of Baltimore, where her father worked as a clothier on West Fayette Street. The family later relocated to a home on Carlisle Avenue in Forest Park. She described her upbringing as being in a “strict Methodist” household.

Kay firstly graduated from Forest Park High School in 1926, and later from Towson University in 1931. She was an active member of the League of Young Voters in 1930. She spent about 25 years as a kindergarten teacher at the school at Grace and St. Peter’s Episcopal Church in Baltimore, later known as the Wilkes School.

In 1932, she married George A. Kay (1907–1979). The couple had two children: a daughter, Anne Kay Joyner, and a son, George Kay III, who passed away in 2009 at the age of 75. By the time she was 112, her family had grown to include seven grandchildren and ten great-grandchildren.

At 108, Kay credited dancing as one of the secrets to her longevity. She also shared that, until she turned 100, she drank the juice of half a lemon every morning—a habit she picked up after someone once told her it was healthy. At the age of 109, it was reported that aside from some vision problems—requiring a little assistance with letters during her Saturday night Scrabble games—her health was in good condition. She even participated in Zumba once a week. She was a longtime member of Grace Methodist Church.

Kay passed away at Pickersgill Retirement Community in Towson, Maryland, on 15 May 2020, at the age of 112 years, 174 days.

RECOGNITION

Kay’s age was validated by the GRG on 17 December 2019.

ATTRIBUTION

* “Almost 109, and still going strong, honey” – Baltimore Sun, 29 October 2016

* “Downing Kay, likely Maryland’s oldest resident, turns 112 in Towson” – Baltimore Sun, 26 November 2019

* “Downing Kay, likely Maryland’s oldest resident, dies at 112” – Baltimore Sun, 16 May 2020

* Downing Jett Kay – Find A Grave

GALLERY