Anita Kay McDermott, 86, of Davenport, Iowa, formerly of Atlantic, Iowa, and Sun City, Arizona, passed away Monday, August 14, 2023, in Davenport after a lengthy illness. Memorial Service will be Saturday, September 16th at 10:30 am at First Presbyterian Church in Walnut. Kay was born in Carroll, Iowa, to Paul and Esther McAvoy. Her mother, Esther, passed away from tuberculosis when Kay was a toddler. The only memory Kay had of her mother was kissing her goodbye when Esther had to leave the home due to her illness. Kay and her brother, Gary, lived with family members until Paul married Isabelle and the family moved to Walnut, Iowa, in 1946.
She graduated from Walnut High School along with her siblings, Gary, Jon, Barb, and Maureen. Kay was a self-taught baton twirler and was the marching band majorette her senior year. She was honored to have won the first-ever Iowa State Fair twirling contest, where one of the judges professed that she had the best finger twirls he had ever seen. She was also proud of her singing accomplishments, earning “I” ratings for her solos, trio, and quartet. She was a member of the Walnut Go-Getters 4-H club and the Rainbow Girls.
She met Richard McDermott while babysitting for his older brother Austin’s children, and she fell for him immediately. They married in 1956 and lived briefly in Pocahontas and Harlan, Iowa, before moving to the family farm northwest of Atlantic, Iowa. Kay was an active member of the Atlantic community, and she spent many hours supporting her children’s school activities, attending sporting events, concerts, and plays. She enjoyed having roles in the community musicals, Hello, Dolly and South Pacific. Her faith was very important to her. She worked as the church secretary and served as an Elder at the First United Presbyterian Church, where the family also made many lifelong friends attending Mariners’ meetings and conferences.
To escape the Iowa winters, in 1986, Kay and Rich made the decision to move to Sun City, Arizona, where Kay worked for State Farm Insurance until she retired at age 75. Although she loved Arizona – and her Cardinals football team – health issues made it difficult for her to live alone any longer, and she returned to the Midwest in 2021.
Until her cancer diagnosis in 2012, Kay enjoyed singing and had a lovely voice. She performed solos for many events and was a member of several choirs over the years. She also became an accomplished watercolor artist later in life and was an active member and Past President of the Palo Verde Artists in Sun City, AZ. Her artwork earned many accolades in competitions, and she loved giving her framed creations as gifts to friends and family.
She loved to travel and told wonderful stories about her trips to Europe, South America, Asia, and her many cruises. She also loved golfing and bowling and continued to do both until the pandemic put those activities on hold.
Kay remained a member of the Atlantic BPO Does and had fond memories of all the fun times she and Rich had eating, drinking, and dancing with friends at the Elks Club in Atlantic.
Kay is survived by her children, Daniel L. McDermott, Mary K. Ager, Steven M. McDermott (Kerry); her late partner Bud’s children, Jeff (Holly) Herren, Craig (Nancy) Herren, Steph (Brett) Angell; her grandchildren, Paul McDermott (Alicia), Matt McDermott (Natalie), Brooke Jackson (John Frye), Andrew McDermott, Karin Jackson, Richard McDermott, Josie McDermott, Carolyn McDermott; her great-grandchildren, Logan, Riley, Myles, Sebastian, Zion, Camilla, and Atlus; her siblings, Gary McAvoy, Jon McAvoy, Barb Drake (Joe), Maureen Schmidt (Bill).
Kay is proceeded in death by her husband, Richard L. McDermott, her long-time partner, John (Bud) L. Herren; her parents, Paul and Esther McAvoy, stepmother, Isabelle McAvoy; her in-laws Harry and Josephine McDermott.
Memorial Service will be Saturday, September 16th at 10:30 am at First Presbyterian Church in Walnut. Pauley Jones Funeral Home is in charge of arrangements.
