Ramona "Kay" Dempsey

Ramona “Kay” Darnell Dempsey, 81, of West Union, Iowa went home on Monday, April 15, 2019 at the Good Samaritan Society in West Union, Iowa.

Kay was born on February 3, 1938 in rural Fayette County to Vern and Evelyn Darnell. She grew up in West Union and graduated from West Union High School in 1956. After graduation, Kay attended Iowa State Teachers for a year before enlisting in the Women’s Army Corp where she met and married David Dempsey. They lived in Rahway, New Jersey and brought into this world four children named Dana, Lisa, Theresa and Chris.

In 1976, after a divorce, Kay and her children moved from Rahway, New Jersey to West Union, Iowa. And that July, Kay began working at the Town House Café in West Union where she worked for over thirty years.

Kay was a member of the First Baptist Church of West Union and over the years was active in the North Fayette Booster Club. She served as President for a time and worked at the high school track meets. Kay never missed one of her 4 kids’ softball, baseball or basketball games or wrestling meets. She also volunteered at the West Union Library and Good Samaritan Society.

Kay loved spending time with her grandchildren…as well as sitting on her front porch, watching sports and cheering on her Iowa Hawkeyes, New York Yankees and Chicago Cubs. And she always loved a good conversation about sports!

Kay is survived by her four children…Dana Dempsey of Waterloo, Iowa; Lisa (Tim) Ludden of Dublin, California; Theresa (Danilo) Jocic of Hoffman Estates, Illinois and Chris (Jeanette) Dempsey of Columbia, South Carolina; her sisters Lynn Darnell and Jill Darnell of West Union, Iowa; her brother Dirk Darnell of Silver Springs, Maryland; her sister-in-law Anita Darnell of Bluffton, Ohio; her grandchildren, Sam Ludden, Hannah Ludden, Cheyenne Bangs, Alexa Jocic, Caitlin Dempsey and Rylee Dempsey; her good friends Patty Price and April Quandahl; her cousins; and many friends at the Good Samaritan Society.

Kay was preceded in death by her brother Richard Darnell and Kay requested that all memorials be directed to the North Fayette Valley Booster Club.

Visitation will be held from 4:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Tuesday, May 7, 2019 at Burnham-Wood-Grau Funeral Home in West Union, Iowa. 

A celebration of Kay’s life will be held at 10:00 am on Wednesday, May 8, 2019 at the First Baptist Church in West Union, Iowa with her burial to follow at Pleasant Grove Cemetery in rural West Union, Iowa.

Burnham-Wood Grau Funeral Home and Cremation Service of West Union, Iowa is helping the family with arrangements.