Mr. Kay Allen Flenar, 85, Etna Green, passed away at 3:20 p.m. Friday, Oct. 21, 2022, at Lutheran Hospital of Fort Wayne.

Kay was born on Oct. 17, 1937, in Decatur to the late Seth and Mildred (Robbins) Flenar.

Kay Flenar

He graduated from Mentone High School in 1955, where he played on the basketball team.

On May 28, 1955, in the Etna Green Church of Christ parsonage, he married the late Carol Sue (Cole) Flenar.

Kay was a loving and devoted family man with an unceasing work ethic, which he passed on to his children and grandchildren. He also loved to laugh and tell stories and will be most remembered for his bright smile, playful sense of humor and fun-loving spirit.

Kay worked for many years as a barber out of a back room in his home in Etna Green after graduating from Indiana Barber College in Indianapolis in 1963. He also owned and operated a restaurant in Etna Green with his wife Sue for a time and retired in 1997 from a career with Zimmer in Warsaw.

Kay was an avid sports fan, having played basketball and other sports in his youth. He was a lifelong fan of the St. Louis Cardinals baseball team and loved watching Notre Dame football. But his favorite athletes were his children and grandchildren; he spent countless hours in the bleachers cheering them on at everything from baseball, softball, basketball and football to other activities like community theater plays, choir performances and piano recitals.

Kay was passionate about travel and made frequent trips to his and Sue’s favorite vacation spots: the beaches of Englewood, Fla., (where he and Sue bought a vacation home); the Smoky Mountains in Gatlinburg, Tenn.; and Walt Disney World. They also spent many summers camping at Chain O’ Lakes, the Smoky Mountains and various state parks and campgrounds.

They enjoyed camping so much that for several years he and Sue rented a long-term campsite at Yogi Bear’s Jellystone Park in Plymouth. More recently, he and Sue took a train West to Yellowstone National Park with their grandson, Justin.

He is survived by his children, Teresa Weaver, Claypool, Kimberly and husband Jerry Garey, Etna Green, and Gary Flenar, Etna Green; grandchildren Justin Weaver, Allison Weaver, Brandon and wife Kindra Garey, Camron and wife Maranda Garey, Seth Flenar and Nathan Flenar; great-granddaughters Tessa and Hazel Garey; sisters-in-law Linda Flenar, Beverly and husband Kyle Carter and Pat Mullins; and nieces and nephews.

Kay was preceded in death by his parents; siblings Larry Flenar, Bob Flenar, Jerry Flenar, Don Flenar, Doris Grubbs and Max Flenar; son-in-law Steve Weaver; and a granddaughter, Kristen Garey. He also selflessly served as his wife Sue’s primary caretaker for many years before her passing in November 2021.

The funeral service will take place at 10:30 a.m. Thursday, Oct. 27, at King Memorial Home, 101 N. Tucker St., Mentone, with Pastor Randall Myers officiating. The interment will take place following the service in the Etna Green Cemetery, where Kay will be buried next to his wife, Sue. Visitation hours will be from 3-7 p.m. Wednesday, Oct. 26, at King Memorial Home, Mentone.

Contributions may be made in his memory to the Etna Green Volunteer Fire Department or to the Englewood Florida Chamber of Commerce, 601 S. Indiana Ave., Englewood, FL 34223 for Hurricane Ian Disaster Relief, specifically for Grove City, Fla.

Family and friends may share a memory or send a condolence at www.hartzlerfuneralservices.com.