Kay Ray Malone, age 80, a long-time resident of Memphis, TN and wife to Mr. B. W. "Buddy" Malone passed away peacefully at home on Tuesday, September 14, 2021.

Kay was born October 31, 1940 at the Dyer County Jail in Dyersburg TN. She was the 2nd of 3 children born to Joe and Geneva Ray. She attended Finley Elementary and Dyersburg High School. She then went on to graduate from Memphis State University with a degree in teaching. She started her teaching career at Millington South in the early 60s. It was during this time that she met the man who would turn out to be the love of her life, Buddy Malone. The two of them were married on July 19, 1963. On the first of April 1969, she gave birth to her first son Michael Ray. On the first of May of 1970, her second son Mark Steven came along. In 1977 she began teaching at Sky View Baptist Academy. and stayed there till 1991. She then moved over to Bartlett Elementary. While there she was nominated for a Disney American Teacher Award. She retired from teaching in 2003 after 35 years with all of them being in the 1st grade. Kay was an avid reader, die-hard fan of Memphis State basketball, loved to spend down time on the banks of the Mississippi River, and was a world traveler with Buddy.

She is preceded in death by her parents, Joe and Geneva Ray of Finley, TN, one brother Larry Joe Ray of Olive Branch, MS and husband B.W. Malone of Memphis to whom she was married to for 52 years. She leaves behind one sister Rose Baker Kaufman of Bartlett; her son Michael of Memphis; her son Mark of Cordova along with many cousins, nieces and nephews.

Per her final wishes, all memorials should be directed to St. Jude Memorial Hospital and if you can, please read a book to a child.