Katherine "Kay" Shannon Woodfin

Katherine “Kay” Shannon Woodfin, age 88, of Murfreesboro, TN, passed peacefully at home on Friday, August 15, 2025, surrounded by her loving family. A native of Greenbrier, TN, Kay was the daughter of the late Lena Margaret Cotton and James Stanley Shannon. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her husband of 61 years, John Benton “Bubba” Woodfin, and sisters, Margaret Ann Hodges and Betty Shannon Cloyd.

She was a 1954 graduate of Greenbrier High School and attended Tennessee Tech and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in social work from Middle Tennessee State University in 1959. Kay was crowned Miss Murfreesboro in 1958.  She met and married the love of her life on June 13, 1959, at Greenbrier United Methodist Church. Together, they shared many joyful years raising their four daughters at their cherished homes in Scottland Acres and on Clark Boulevard. Kay was a community leader and served as a member Charity Circle of Murfreesboro, the Oakland Association, and Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Foundation. Kay enjoyed volunteering with the Wesley Foundation and St. Jude Children’s Hospital. She was also an Elder at Central Christian Church (Disciples of Christ) where she sang beautifully in the choir for over 40 years. In recognition of their generous philanthropic contributions, Kay and Bubba were named the 2009 Heart Ball Honorees by the American Heart Association and the 2014 Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Philanthropists of the Year.

Kay lived a full and gracious life, marked by elegance, warmth, and love. She lived the virtues of a woman as described in Proverbs 31: generous, compassionate, and strong. She was a natural-born athlete, having played basketball in high school as well as golf and tennis for many years. As the devoted matriarch of the Woodfin family, her greatest joys came from vacationing with Bubba and the girls and spending time with her grandchildren and great-grandchildren. Whether tending her beautiful garden, hosting family and community gatherings, or singing along to country music played by her family, Kay’s legacy of hospitality, kindness, and charm will live on in the hearts of all who knew her.

She is survived by her daughters, Shannon Parsons and her husband David, Katherine “Kit” Ramsay and her husband Chuck, Melissa Combs and her husband Ron, and Ashley Backer and her husband John. She is also survived by her brother, Pat Shannon and his wife Pati. Affectionately known as “KaKa,” Kay also leaves a legacy through her grandchildren, Kati Ramsay and her wife Katie, Charlie Ramsay and his wife Amanda, Hannah Margaret Allen and her husband Grant Schumacher, Grace Combs, Meg Combs, Ann Frances Killebrew and her husband Douglas, Katherine Backer, and Jack Backer; great grandchildren, Ramsay Kate, Oliver, Addison, Ella, Lucy, and Woodfin. She will also be fondly remembered by many nieces, nephews, dear friends, and caretakers.

 The family wishes to express a special thank you to Jenni Curtis for her years of love and devotion.

Memorials may be made in Kay’s honor to Central Christian Church, the Ascension St. Thomas Rutherford Foundation, or the Charity Circle of Murfreesboro.

Visitation with the family will be Thursday, August 21, 2025, from 10:00 AM to 1:00 PM at Woodfin Memorial Chapel. The Funeral service will begin at 1:00 PM with Rev. Suzanne Cloyd Hultman and Rev. Dr. John Hinkle officiating. Burial will follow at Evergreen Cemetery with family members and staff members of Woodfin Funeral Chapels serving as pallbearers.