Kay Hancock went home to be with her Lord and Savior on July 16, 2025, and also joined her loving husband John Hancock in heaven. 

She was 83 years old. Kay was born in Rainier, Washington on September 26, 1941, and grew up on a small farm with a single mother as the youngest of four siblings in Forest Grove, Oregon. 

While growing up she always pretended to be a teacher, which turned out to be her career for 42 years. 

At age 8, she started picking strawberries for money and worked other jobs even in the summers, as a young adult, to compensate for her teaching salary. 

She taught in Oregon, Washington and California. She genuinely cared about each student she taught, which was strongly reflected in the Lucerne, California, community she taught in for the majority of her teaching years.  

Kay deeply loved God, her many friends and family. In fact, if you were her good friend, in her eyes you were considered family. Kay was a very loving mom and grammy. She loved to play cards, cook and have a genuine conversation about you, not her. 

Kay is survived by her son, Aaron Hancock; her loving daughter-in-law, Bethany Hancock; amazing grandkids, Lillian and Luke Hancock of Wilton, California; sister, Jo Vermilyea of Tillamook, Oregon; numerous nieces and nephews from Oregon; and honorary sons, Brian Stempe of Santa Rosa, California, and Chad Love of Glenhaven, California. 

Kay touched the lives of many students, friends and family. She will be deeply missed. 

Kay’s celebration of life will be delayed due to the renovation of her church. Her memorial service will be held on Saturday, Nov. 15, at noon at Rancho Murieta Community Church, near Sacramento. The address of the church is 14670 Cantova Way, Suite 101, Rancho Murieta, CA 95683.