Catherine June Hoy

Catherine June Hoy died at her rural Emporia home on Sunday afternoon, July 21, 2019, after a short illness.  She was born January 12, 1944, in Chanute, Kansas, the daughter of Wilbur and Genevieve Thompson.  She was a graduate of Kansas State University and Emporia State University, where she earned a Ph.D. in Library and Information Management in 2001.  She worked as a librarian at Emporia High School and was Director of Distance Education for the School of Library and Information Management at ESU.

In 2006 she volunteered for the Symphony in the Flint Hills and was on the Board of Directors for the following six years, serving as Chair of the Board in 2008.  Her love of and advocacy for the Flint Hills was honored in 2015 when she was named Friend of the Flint Hills by the Flint Hills Discovery Center Foundation.

She is survived by her husband Jim of the home; her daughter Farrell Hoy Jenab and grandchildren Henry and Lucy of the Kansas City area; her son Josh (Gwen) and granddaughter Josie of Cedar Point; and her brother Bill (Heidi) of Coeur d'Alene, Idaho.  She was preceded in death by her parents, her sister Carolyn Kruse, and her brother Craig.

Cathy was a true Kansan, working with quiet passion for the things she loved without need for personal recognition.  She had deep compassion for humanity and a smile that brightened lives.  A celebration of her life will be held at her home on September 22.  Memorials can be made to the Carolyn S. Kruse Foundation and sent to Emporia State Federal Credit Union, 310 West 12th, Emporia, KS  66801.