Kathy Jo Lay

Kathy Jo Lay—better known to the cool kids (and literally everyone who mattered) as Granny—kicked off her epic adventure in Denver, CO back in 1943, entered the pearly gates on March 21st. She survived South High School (no small feat) and then proceeded to live a gloriously nomadic, full-throttle life bouncing between CA, CO, MO, and TN like a pinball with excellent taste in scenery.In 1961, she locked it down with Andy W. Lay and immediately got to work on the family dynasty. First up: Marty, the classic honeymoon souvenir. Then Heidi, officially Dad’s favorite (she is still proud of this and no one doubts it). And finally, Jamie, forever her baby. Three kids, endless road trips, and zero regrets.

While dragging the crew state-to-state, Kathy Jo squeezed in college courses like a boss until she finally snagged her degree from Missouri Southern State College (now fancy enough to be a university). In the early ’80s, she took over as Campus Activities Director and basically turned sleepy Joplin, MO into a concert hotspot. She booked the biggest names of the era and gave everyone something to talk about besides the weather.Mid-’80s: time for the big California glow-up. She and Andy landed in Simi Valley, and Kathy Jo dove into the glamorous world of CBS-TV City. After rocking Tech Ops and keeping CBS Sports on the air, she slid over to Telecommunications and spent decades making sure America could still vote via landline for their Dancing with the Stars and American Idol obsessions. She retired in 2019 after more than 30 years of basically being the reason your grandma could call in vote for the cute dancer or next big thing.

Kathy Jo is survived by her sister Linda Jo, those three kids and their awesome spouses: Marty (who wisely married Sara), Heidi (married to Greg for an impressive 43 years and still speaking to each other), and Jamie (married to Terri for 27 years and clearly doing something right); and a sprawling family tree that’s now sprouting great-great-grandkids. But let’s be real—the title she wore prouder than any diploma or paycheck was Granny. Her first grandchild slapped that nickname on her, and it stuck harder than glitter on a craft project. To this day, way more people know her as Gran or Granny than by her government name.

Fun family trivia: “Jo” (or “Joe”) was basically the family password. Dad was Joe, brother was Joe, and both she and sis tacked Jo onto their names like it was a secret handshake.At 82, Granny left behind a ridiculous number of people whose lives she lit up with her laugh, her sass, and her zero-tolerance policy for boring.

Come celebrate her properly—no somber vibes allowed at her celebration of Life on Friday, June 12th at 4:00pm at Lemon (Rancho Tapo) Park in Simi Valley, right at the amphitheater near the Memorial Pools. This is open to literally anyone who wants to show up and party California-style. Wear comfy summer clothes, but bonus points (and Granny points) for anything glittery or sparkly. She’d insist.

Skip the flowers. If you’re feeling generous, make a donation to Forever Found (foreverfound.org), the anti-child-trafficking nonprofit she poured her post-retirement heart into. They rescue and restore kids from slavery — serious work, serious impact.Can’t make it? No guilt trip. Just do one Granny-approved thing in her honor: throw on some sparkle, cackle like a maniac, binge an Elvis movie, or pull off something mildly irresponsible (your call, keep it legal-ish). She’d approve.

Here’s to Kathy Jo Lay—Mother and Granny extraordinaire—who lived big, loved bigger, and left the world a whole lot shinier