Kathryn "Kay" L. Eskew

Miss Kathryn Lynn Eskew, age 72, of Manassas, VA passed away on Wednesday, July 14, 2021 at Birmingham Green Health Care Center in Manassas, VA.  She was born, in McCook, NE on October 3, 1948, and was adopted by Virgil “Bud” Milton and Viela “June” (Fleming) Eskew when she was 3 days old.

Kay’s younger years were spent in Imperial, Nebraska where she went to school through 5th grade (1958) with her best friend, Penny (Hill) Teply.  The family moved to Lincoln, NE (1959) when her dad Bud became the director of the USDA office.  During this time Kay attended school at Lincoln Southeast High School.  In 1962 they moved to Washington D.C. where he worked with the Department of Agriculture.  Kay was a 1967 graduate of Wakefield High School in Arlington, VA and she attended George Mason College in Virginia.

Kay chose to stay in Virginia when her parents moved to Denver in 1970. She worked at Peoples Drug Store for a time. Her close friend and companion, Bobby Wyecoff died in 1985.  Kay struggled through the years with seizures and other problems related to Schizophrenia.  She eventually moved into Community Residences in Arlington, VA where she had many friends especially in the business community where she brightened everyone’s day with her sense of humor.

Following her time at Community Residences, she was hospitalized and eventually moved to Birmingham Green in 2010.  She received great care from the staff on the Cardinal Heights Team and from her guardians, Cheryl and Hillary.

When feeling well, she enjoyed being around people and brought joy to the others around her. Kay loved music, dancing and singing. As a child, she did ballet, and she played the piano up through high school.  She talked about how she enjoyed dancing because it made her feel free. Now she is free and can sing and dance to her favorite songs, “You Are My Sunshine” and “Jesus Loves Me”!

She was preceded in death by her parents (her father 1985 and mother in 2011); and cousin, Richard A. Myers (2016); many aunts, uncles.

Survivors include her Virginia family: Guardians Cheryl Johnson and Hillary Rodak and the Birmingham Green Cardinal Heights team and nurse Melba who set up facetime every week;  her “Nebraska” cousins: Cheri (Jerry) Beckenhauer of Papillion, NE who facetimed with her weekly, Steven & Billy Myers of Provincetown, MA, Jolene Myers of Lafayette, CO;  Bob (Monica) Myers of Madison, WI, Brock (Lori) Myers of Longmont, CO; Lynette (Michael) Holloway, Scott (Michalene) Beckenhauer of Papillion, NE and Lisa (Daniel) Pomajzl of Seward, NE.

Memorials are suggested to Birmingham Green Health Care Center, 8605 Centreville Road Manassas, VA 20110.

Graveside service and interment will be Monday, July 19, 2021 at 11:00 MST in Mount Hope Cemetery in Imperial, NE.