Kay Burton Redmond, 66, passed away from cancer in her Atlanta home on Monday, Oct. 23, 2006.
For the previous four years, Kay spent her winters in Dillon, CO and the remainder of the year in Atlanta, GA.
When she decided to learn a new skill or sport, becoming merely good at it was not enough - she threw herself into it and wanted to stand out.
An Atlanta native, Kay loved the great outdoors and especially water sports. She was a champion equestrian as a youngster and a skilled water skier as a teen.
As a young adult, she completed a Sailing and Seamanship Course taught by the U.S. Coast Guard Auxiliary. Unhappy to just sit in the boat, she bought a Thistle, joined the Lake Lanier Sailing Club and took up racing.
She joined the Atlanta Yacht Club in the early 1990s and frequently crewed for sailing championships, including the US Masters and World Sailing Championship. Kay served as the director of the Junior Sailing Training Program until her death.
During the 2006 summer, Kay received the Commodore Award for her outstanding service and many years of training young sailors.
She also loved snow skiing and for three years served as a volunteer on the Ski Patrol at Ski Cooper near Leadville.
She received a special recognition certificate from Ski Cooper in October of 2005 and often said that of all her awards she was most proud of this one because it was totally unexpected. Kay also served at Keystone on the Mountain Watch Team and taught children's ski lessons.
In her professional career, Kay was not only Barton and Ludwig Realtors' top agent; she was top agent for the state of Georgia for eight years in a row, winning numerous real estate awards in the 1970s and 1980s. Her peers called her "Shot Gun" for her explosive personality. Kay was a lifetime member of the Atlanta Board of Realtors Million Dollar Club. She trained new agents and served on the speakers' circuit for Georgia Association of Realtors.
She also trained acolytes at the Church of the Atonement, her parish for over 20 years. Redmond served on the Church of the Atonement Flower Guild and was involved in the Magnolia Garden Club, the oldest garden club in Georgia, for almost 40 years, and served as president in 1996. Kay was a top fundraiser for the Rabin Gap Nacoochee Junior Guild, which supported teaching of special children.
Kay was a graduate of Brenau College of Gainesville and began her career as a news reporter for WMAZ-TV in Macon, and later worked as a disc jockey at WDOL Radio in Douglasville. In the early 1960s she was co-owner of the Chastain Park Riding Academy, teaching equesterianship to youngsters.
She is survived by her brother Ronald Burton of Atlanta; her children Leisel Williams and Clay Redmond of Destin, Fla.; and grandchildren Lauren Grace Williams, Connor Van Redmond and Carly Ann Redmond.
Kay has requested that donations be made in her memory to the American Cancer Society.
