Catherine Anna Lemke was born in Mesa Grande on September 9, 1923.  She was part of a large family of nine brothers and sisters.  Kay was the youngest of the girls and the seventh born to Virginia and Thomas Head.  She married her late husband, Ralph Lemke, in 1941.

During WWII, Kay and Ralph both worked on airplanes at the Convair plant in San Diego.  Their late son, Ralph Jr., was born in 1944 and their youngest son Chris was born in 1948.  They raised their family at their ranch home on Singing Hills Golf Course in El Cajon.  After their sons moved away, they moved to Huntington Beach in 1969 for Ralph to remodel a golf course there.  Their next move was to Murrieta in 1971 for Ralph's construction efforts on new golf courses.

In 1973, Kay and Ralph moved to Poway.  They loved spending their Monday nights eating spaghetti at Filippi's.  Kay loved watching the hummingbirds in her garden.  She spent much of her time swimming, golfing, playing with her granddaughters and bringing roses from her garden to St. Michael's Catholic Church of Poway for mass.

In Kay's later years, she needed a little extra help and moved from her Poway home to Escondido as her Alzheimer's and dementia progressed.

She is survived by her son, Chris Lemke, his spouse Melody Lemke and three granddaughters, Tiffany Lemke, Nicole (Lemke) Barton and Leasa Cumper.

The family of Grandma Kay wishes to extend our sincere thanks to Pacifica Senior Living and Seasons Hospice for your unwavering care.