OBITUARY: Mary Kay Grimes

Mary Kay Grimes, 86, of St. Petersburg and formerly of Longboat Key, died April 29.

Born Sept. 28, 1927, in Columbus, Ohio, she was the daughter of Glenn and Eloise Fichter.

Following her divorce in 1959, Mrs. Grimes moved with her five children to Oxford, Ohio, where she worked as secretary in the Fine Arts Department at Miami University. During this time, she met and married Kendall Grimes.

In 1973, Mrs. Grimes and her family moved to Longboat Key to operate a motel. They enjoyed warm winters and made new friends on the beach. She also enjoyed traveling, eventually exploring the U.S., Canada and Mexico in an RV.

In 1993, the couple purchased a small home in Land Harbor, N.C. Kendall Grimes died in 1995, but Mrs. Grimes continued to enjoy summers in Land Harbor with friends, many of whom were also visiting from Florida.

In 2001, Mrs. Grimes met Walter Cunningham at Land Harbor. The couple spent winters in Spring Hill, and Mrs. Grimes enjoyed accompanying him to his Pearl Harbor survivors reunions. After his death, she moved to St. Petersburg to be closer to family.

Mrs. Grimes was preceded in death by her son, Skippy, and daughter, Peggy.

She is survived by sons, Ken and Bruce; daughters, Susy and Bonnie; stepsons, Mike and Chris; five grandchildren; two great-grandchildren; one nephew; one niece; and “adopted sister,” Doris Abston.