Kay Johnson

Born November 10, 1935, Kay Gunnells Johnson joined her husband in the afterlife on the morning of January 24, 2021. The only child of doting parents, Ralph E Gunnells (d. 1960) and Myrtle Meyer Gunnells (d. 2001) of North Charleston, SC, Kay is survived by her three children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren. The love of her life, Blaine Johnson, Jr., predeceased her on October 5, 2008. Her family wishes for Kay and Blaine to enjoy dancing together once again as she joins him and his and her parents in the next life.
She leaves behind three children, Ginger Johnson Sottile of Mount Pleasant, SC, Kathy Kay Johnson Binsted (Frank) of Newport, TN, and Alan Blaine Johnson, III (Regenia) of Del Rio, TN; six grandchildren, Rebecca Gray Johnson Clabough (Mitchell Ramsey) of Parrotsville, TN, Sarah Kay Church (Michael Church) of Jefferson City, TN, Megan O. Lewis (Matthew Lewis) of Newport, TN, Jessica E. Johnson (Tony Johnson) of Dandridge, TN, Nicholas S. Sottile and Stephen R. Sottile of Mount Pleasant, SC; and eight great-grandchildren, Kailey Ramsey, Seth Clabough, Andrew Church, Sandy Kay Church, Olivia May Lewis, Jaydn Johnson, Kylie Kay Church and Blaine "Bubba" Edward Lewis.
Kay was an outgoing, talkative Southern Lady. Known for repeating several cliches: "If you have nothing nice to say, just say nothing at all," "This too shall pass" and "Be sweet and behave." In high school, she was active in Y-Teens where she met a Demolay at age 16 - it was love at first sight for him and he eventually persuaded her to choose him. Kay loved to dance and Folly Beach pier held a special place in her heart as did the Pavilion and Front Beach on the Isle of Palms. She and Blaine had a long, loving, 53 years of married partnership together. Together, they worked for his parents at Johnson Trailer Sales before owning two mobile home parks and a fuel oil delivery company, were licensed and active Amateur Radio Operators, and worked with FEMA. They were active in the Omar Shrine Temple and the North Charleston Jaycees, Kay serving on the Queen of the Nile's Court and being elected to every officer position of the North Charleston Jaycee-ettes. For almost two decades, they hosted semi-annual fish frys for the Tri-county's Amateur Radio clubs at their property in Givhans. While working for FEMA, they traveled from Houston to Miami to New Orleans to Puerto Rico, making lifelong friends of coworkers while helping thousands of people in dire situations after natural disasters. Being a Charlestonian often equates with being a bit of a historian and Kay loved her three year stint at the old Charleston Museum on Calhoun. Since she could and would talk to absolutely anyone, she was a perfect ambassador for The Holy City and it was a really good day for her when she was able to share a Charleston secret with a local! An avid reader, she could never pass up a Victorian novel, historical fiction or biography. She was the self-appointed family historian with pages and pages of handwritten notes and family tree drawings, having researched the Meyer family tree back to their origins in Bremerhaven, Germany. In 2005, her 'gypsy blood' led her to travel there with her daughter and grandsons, taking rolls of film of the family name on shops, stores, churches, municipal buildings and more. Kay and Blaine followed their two younger children and their families to relocate to Tennessee, residing in Del Rio from 2006 until their deaths.
Alzheimer's robbed Kay of being independent and she required full-time memory care in the fall of 2016. Her lifestyle had been hampered the year before when she lost sight in her eye due to wet macular degeneration - not only could she no longer drive, but reading was often too big a struggle.
She has enjoyed the last few years at Newport Convalescent Center and the nurses and staff have been wonderful, kind and loving to her and her family. They often teased Kay, calling her Miss North Charleston and many of them shared her penchant for a cold Coca-Cola. Alzheimer's did not change her sweet, accommodating nature, her ability to shine and befriend a room full of people and regale all with her funny and often sarcastic spins on stories from her life and travels.
McAlister-Smith Funeral Home of Mount Pleasant, SC is coordinating with Manes Funeral Home of Newport, TN. Memorial services will be announced later due to Covid-19 restrictions and she will be interred at Bethany Cemetery, North Charleston, SC.
In lieu of flowers, donations may be sent to the Alzheimer's Association, 2090 Executive Hall Rd # 130, Charleston, SC 29407 (website alz.org), the SC Shriners Hospital for Children, 950 W Faris Rd, Greenville, SC 29605 (website donate.lovetotherescue.org) or to your local elementary school's PTA.

Expressions of sympathy may be viewed or submitted online at https://www.mcalister-smith.com.

Funeral arrangements have been entrusted to McALISTER-SMITH FUNERAL & CREMATION, Mt. Pleasant, 1520 Rifle Range Rd., Mt. Pleasant, SC 29464, (843) 884-3833.