Shari L. (Kay) Dunnington 1958-2012

DUNNINGTON GREEN KAY

Posted By: Connie Swearingen-Volunteer (email)
Date: 9/24/2012 at 12:46:10

Sioux City Journal
September 12, 2012

Shari L. (Kay) Dunnington, 54, of Olathe, Kan., formerly of Sioux City, passed away Tuesday, Sept. 4, 2012, after a courageous two-year battle with brain cancer.

Services will be 11 am. Friday, Sept. 14 at Morningside Lutheran Church, with Pastor Tom LoVan officiating. Visitation will be 6 to 8 p.m. Thursday, with a prayer service at 7 p.m., at the church. Per her wishes, cremation has taken place. Arrangements are under the direction of McGilley and Frye Funeral Home in Olathe. Online condolences may be posted at McGilley-Frye.com.

Shari was born Jan. 16, 1958, in Omaha, Neb., the daughter of Alvin and Donna (Green) Kay. She was baptized at St. Paul's Lutheran Church in Holstein, Iowa, and confirmed at Morningside Lutheran Church in Sioux City. She graduated from East High School in 1976. She participated in the Raiderettes drill team and was proud to be a member. Shari graduated cum laude from Morningside College in 1981, with a bachelor's degree in business and industrial psychology.

In 1978, she married Jon Nylen in Sioux City. They had two children, Kimberly June in 1980 and Jeffrey Allen in 1983. During this time, she worked in logistics for several trucking companies, including IBP Inc.

In 1992, she married Mark Dunnington in Sioux City. They made their home in Olathe. In 1993, she was employed as transportation manager for Toys 'R' Us in the Kansas City, Mo., area. In 1996, they moved to Frederick, Md., where she was promoted to manager of a new facility serving the Paramus, N.J., area. In 1999, they returned to Olathe, where she became president/partner of a marketing company, TRG Inc. She continued in that capacity until October 2010, when she became ill.

Shari loved life and was a very hard worker. She was an enthusiastic cheerleader for her kids, encouraging them every step of the way to finish college. Big Lots was her favorite place to shop. She was an awesome interior decorator, sometimes known as "The Wallpaper Queen." She could turn the simplest knick-knacks into an elegant display, using a bit of spray paint if colors weren't right.

Survivors include her husband of 20 years, Mark Dunnington; her two children, Kimberly (Craig) Hart of Pocatello, Idaho, and Jeffrey Nylen of Coralville, Iowa; three stepchildren, Lisa (Nate) Heffran of LaHabra, Calif., Britt Anderson of Olathe and Devyn (Anthony) Falcon of Woodland Hills, Calif.; three step-grandchildren, Gabby (Heffran) LePore, Eli Anderson and Adalynn Falcon; her parents, Alvin and Donna Kay of Sioux City; her sister, Sandy (Bob) Schmeckpeper of Sioux City and their two children, Alan (Elisha) Schmeckpeper and their son Nolan, and Sara (Justin) Sangwin and their son Dalton; a brother, Kevin Kay of Bronson, Iowa; two sisters-in-law, Sherry (Armand) Roepke of Kingsley, Iowa, and Sandy (Roger) Peterson of Sioux City and their families; and several aunts, uncles and cousins.

She was preceded in death by her grandparents, Carl and Paula Kay and Elsie and Vernon Green, all of Holstein; a stillborn brother, Keith LaVern Kay; and her father- and mother-in-law, Winfield and Phyllis Dunnington.

The Dunnington and Kay families thank her friends through the years for the joy and memories, and Kansas City Hospice, who provided her with excellent care and comfort. May God bless her memory. She will be missed by all who knew and loved her.