Mary Kathryn Young Morgan

On July 24, 2022, Mary Kathryn "Kay" Young Morgan passed peacefully into the arms of her Lord and Savior, Jesus Christ, whom she loved. She was 70.Kay was born on August 12,1951 in Abilene, Texas, the second child of Wilfred Ray Young and Bennie ("B") Dorris Young. Squished between her two brothers on the drive north, the family relocated to Tulsa in 1959. Kay attended Edison High School and starred as Alice in the synchronized swimming production of Alice and Wonderland. Even then, she was already described as everyone's friend because of her energetic, loving personality.Kay studied Sociology at Oklahoma State and completed her Masters in Urban Planning at the University of Oklahoma. She started her career working for Mayor Patience Latting in the Oklahoma City planning department. It was there, after attending a speaker series on urban planning, that she chased down her future husband, Kenyon Morgan, the speaker's host, and invited him to lunch. Kenyon seized the opportunity. At lunch, Kay declared "I don't want children." In the most perceptive statement of his life, he replied, "That's too bad, because you'd be a great mom." Kay was hooked. Once married, Kenyon and Kay welcomed three daughters - Kyla, Kenna, and Katie - into their house, which was slowly, then suddenly, filled with rainbows, cabbage patch kids, and smocked dresses. In early family life, Kay's work interest transitioned from city government to real estate. She wrote the original plan for the Paseo conservation and redevelopment. She loved helping families find their home and together with Kenyon, they developed the Oakmont, Oakdale Meadows, and Oakdale Valley neighborhoods. As their daughters grew up, Kay and Kenyon took them on road trips from San Francisco to Washington D.C. and everywhere in between, sharing their love for urban planning, architecture, and history. As the "5Ks" got older, Kay became known for her stocked pantry, which was optimized for sleepovers and impromptu parties. "Mama Morgan" was known for her hospitality in her beautiful, colorful home.Kay's favorite color was red. Red everywhere. She collected dozens of red dishes and platters. Red hearts, big and small. And posters from art museums and festivals. But most of all, Kay collected friends. As a young mom, Kay found a set of friends who never knew they wanted to wake up at 5 am and go running, and then laugh and drink coffee. What started out as "the running buddies" grew into lifelong friendships with countless Christmas and birthday celebrations.She faithfully attended Church of the Servant, where she volunteered actively. She was a camp sponsor and led high school small groups. She started three Sunday School classes and ensured each had a terrific Christmas Party. With her "Spirit Sisters", she cultivated a love for spiritual listening and taught spiritual direction courses for years at Heartpaths. And she initiated and recruited volunteers for Church of the Servant's Whiz Kids site, which became the biggest site in the metro area.Kay is survived by her husband of 44 years, Kenyon Morgan; her three daughters, Kyla Templeton and her husband Kurt, of Bentonville Arkansas, Kenna Brody and her husband Mike, of Chicago, Illinois, and Katie Woodward and her husband Josh, of Sunnyvale, California; her 7 grandchildren, Karsten, Klay, Sam, Ben, Willa, Mira, and a granddaughter on the way; and her two brothers, Reid Young and his wife Ginny, and Grant Young and his wife Janice; and two brothers-in-law, David Morgan and his wife Ellen, and Porter Morgan and his late, beloved Betsy.We're grateful to Dr. Kent Smalley and Paula Avery for their guidance; Anita, Sue, Diane, Carol, Linda, and Trish for their constant companionship; Ruth, Fonda, and Delrisa for their love, grace, and care.There will be a celebration of life service at Oakdale Baptist Church, officiated by Scott Bartlow, on Wednesday, July 27th at 10 am. In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to Whiz Kids at Church of the Servant, in loving memory of Kay Morgan.