Warren "Bud" Kay

Warren "Bud" C. Kay, Jr., 73, of Ship Bottom, NJ passed away peacefully on July 20 with his family at his side after suffering a devastating stroke. He is survived by his wife of 51 years, Linda (Staudinger) Kay, and their three children, Lindsay (Kay) Solensky, Tom Kay, and Chris Kay, along with their families: Craig, Andrew, and Evan Solensky: Erica, Gemma, and Lana Kay; and Cindy, Olivia, and McKenna Kay. He is also survived by his sisters, Janice (Kay) Fox and Susan (Kay) Rash.

Bud was born on November 10, 1951, in Newark, NJ, to Bud and Jean Kay. He grew up in Medford Lakes, NJ, attended Lenape High School, and stood out as a talented football player and swimmer. After high school, he went on to major in biology at Montclair State College where he won the D3 National Championship in football. During her freshman year, he and Linda saw each other across a room and it was love at first sight! Bud spent his summers during college as a lifeguard in Surf City, NJ.

Upon graduating from college, Bud embarked on a successful career in the medical sales industry that rewarded him and Linda with wonderful trips to exciting locations such as Hawaii, Australia, South Africa, and Italy. In addition to his professional achievements, Bud was deeply committed to his community and worked as a substitute teacher and spent more than 25 years as a volunteer coach for the Shawnee High School football team. How 'bout them Renegades!!!

After retiring, Bud continued coaching and started a second career as "Chef Bud" by working as a private chef. He was then able to live his best life - boating, swimming, and fishing on the beaches of Long Beach Island, NJ, Green Pond, NJ, and Melbourne Beach, FL, becoming an active member of the Beach Bum's Corvette Club, making pancakes to order and digging for sand crabs with his grandchildren, watching rocket launches, forecasting the weather, and enjoying all the special little daily moments of gourmet meals and sunsets with Linda.

Whether you called him husband, dad, grandpa, brother, uncle, cousin, lifeguard, neighbor, coach, or friend, he was always there with a word of wisdom, an inspirational quote, a silly "dad" joke, a hug, or just a steady shoulder to lean on. He will be deeply missed by all who knew him. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests that donations be made in his honor to the American Stroke Association, Give Kids the World Village, or the Shawnee End Zone Club.

A celebration of life will take place at the Lakeside at Medford on August 5th. Visitation will be from 4:00-5:00 followed by remarks from family and friends and a reception from 5:00-8:00.