Kathryn Jean Bayer

Kathryn Jean Bayer (Phillips/Hayes)

Kathy Bayer left this world on December 23, 2023, passing peacefully in her home following an eight-month long battle with metastatic melanoma. Born to Ruth and Homer Hayes in Newcomerstown, Ohio, she graduated in 1969 from Ridgewood High School and then earned a Bachelor's Degree from The Ohio State University. She married John Phillips and raised three children in Newark and later Granville, Ohio. Kathy became a realtor in the late 1980s and at one time owned a brokerage in Newark, Ohio. In 2002 Kathy and her second husband, John Bayer, relocated to Tucson, AZ, where she fell in love with the beauty of the Sonoran Desert. She loved playing board games and cards, traveling, cooking, watching the OSU Buckeyes, and spending time with family. For many years she sang with the Tucson Desert Harmony Chorus (Sweet Adelines), where she enjoyed regular and seasonal performances. She was a lifelong volunteer with several causes such as childhood literacy, Kiwanis International, and food insecurity. Her family and friends will always remember her beautiful smile and love of good food, laughs and new experiences. She is predeceased by her son, John David Phillips "Jay" (Tana Phillips), her mother Olive Ruth Hayes, her sister Pat Kennedy, and her sister Darlene Kay Hayes. She is survived by her father Homer Hayes, a sister, Susan Hayes, two daughters, Andrea Phillips (Matt Besecker) and Lauren Phillips (Moe Seita), six grandchildren, and many step children and step-grandchildren, and her partner Patrick Teske. Plans are underway for a celebration of life in Tucson (spring 2024) and in Ohio (summer 2024). In lieu of flowers, please consider sending a contribution to the American Melanoma Foundation (melanomafoundation.org).