Kay Doreen Wick (Crampton), 83, of Centerville, Ohio, passed away peacefully on March 3, 2025. She was born in Michigan City, Ind., on March 31, 1941, to parents Myrick and Dorothy Crampton of Chesterton, Ind.
Kay is preceded in death by her parents and brother Raymond Crampton. She's survived by husband Carl; sister Barbara Crampton Long of Tavernier, Fla.; son William Goldsworthy (Amanda) of Cedarburg, Wisc.; daughter Kathi Chandler (Jim) of Atlanta; and stepdaughters Susie (Ken) Velten of Colorado Springs; and Karen (Lee) Wiegand of New Albany, Ohio. She's survived by 20 grandchildren and two great-grandchildren.
Kay graduated from Chesterton High School, Ind., and began college at Purdue University later completing a B.S. from the University of Dayton. She married a Purdue engineering graduate who was commissioned into the Navy. He served on a destroyer that assisted in the recovery of NASA Mercury astronauts in the Caribbean Sea.
Kay was living in Key West when the Cuban Missile Crisis occurred in 1962. She was advised to leave the area and moved temporarily to her parent's home in Indiana. She lived in nine states finally moving to Dayton in 1972.
Kay began working at the NCR Corporation in 1977 initially working in the Medical, Education and Government (MEG) marketing training department. She transferred to MEG marketing and became the product manager for NCR's computer hospital applications. She traveled extensively providing sales support. Kay completed a M.S. from Central Michigan University at the Air Force Institute of Technology (AFIT) located at Wright-Patterson Air Force Base.
Kay retired from NCR in 1994. However, the parent company, AT&T, offered her a job in New Jersey at their HQs. After a year she joined Wright State University teaching marketing.
Among the courses she taught was Sports Marketing, a course she developed in collaboration with the Cincinnati Reds, Columbus Blue Jackets, Dayton Dragons and WSU Athletic Department. Kay was recognized as the outstanding marketing instructor every year that she taught at WSU.
She also served on several WSU committees including Greek Affairs, Undergraduate Programs, Student Awards, Scholarships, and WSU Publicity and Communications. She led summer WSU student study tours. In 2000 Kay was honored with the WSU Presidential Award for Faculty Excellence, recognizing her as the top instructor in the university.
Kay volunteered to work in political campaigns, including both George Bush presidential campaigns and the John McCain and Mitt Romney presidential campaigns. Kay became co-chair of the Montgomery County, Ohio, Republican Party, and she was a delegate or alternate delegate to four Republican National Conventions.
Other contributions included: founder of the Republican Special Forces volunteers; Montgomery County Republican Central Committee; Centerville Ward Leader; program chair for the South Metro Republican Women's Club; and precinct presiding judge and poll worker. She was honored as the Montgomery County Republican Woman of the Year and received the Ohio Federation of Republican Women Tribute Award. She is the recipient of the Katherine Brown Republican Woman of the Year Award.
Kay was a member of the Montgomery County Board of Elections for 12 years. She co-chaired Ohio elections personnel education programs through the Ohio Association of Election Officials (OAEO). Kay was honored as the OAEO Ohio Republican Volunteer of the Year. She held National Elections Administrator certification.
Kay was committed to community service. She served as the board chair for Towards Independence (TI) in Xenia, Ohio. TI assists people with disabilities. Kay also served as the President of David's Cemetery in Kettering, Ohio. She developed their first marketing plan and led the mausoleum and columbarium building projects and large American flag project.
She was a past member of the Centerville Arts Commission; the Centerville Women's Civic Club; The Pathway School of Discovery Board of Education; a volunteer for the Therapeutic Riding Institute and a board member for Women Who Care. She was also a PEO member in Centerville.
Kay enjoyed sports. She was an excellent skier and a certified National Ski Patroller. She and Carl attended Ohio State football games, Cincinnati Reds and Cincinnati Bengals games, a Rose Bowl, a World Series and two Final 4 basketball tournaments. They shared season tickets with several couples to the Dayton Dragons Baseball Team. Kay's favorite sporting events were those that the children and grandchildren participated in or were cheerleaders.
Kay and Carl visited 22 National Parks, six Civil War battlefields and several early American historical sites to include Williamsburg at Christmastime and the Normandy American Cemetery. They also had the honor of attending a White House Christmas party in 2004.
The activity that pleased Kay most was visiting grandchildren on their birthdays. She seldom missed one traveling to Columbia, S.C., Atlanta, Milwaukee, Colorado Springs, Phoenix and Columbus, Ohio. Kay enjoyed Carl's family reunions held every summer at a cousin's Wisconsin lake property and also visiting Green Valley, Ariz., where Kay’s mother spent winter seasons.
The family thanks the wonderfully dedicated nurses, caregivers and staff at Bethany Village and Dayton Hospice. Contributions can be made in her name to the Wounded Warrior Project or Tunnel to Towers Foundation, which she honorably supported.
A celebration of life will be held at noon on Saturday, May 31, 2025, at Routsong Funeral Home, 2100 E. Stroop Road Kettering, Ohio 45429 with a reception to follow. Entombment will be at David's Cemetery.
