Kay Van Auken McClenny

Kay Van Auken McClenny, of Georgetown, Delaware, went home to her Lord and Savior Thursday, Jun 11, 2026, at the Delaware Hospice Center after a long battle with cancer.

Kay was born on October 8, 1957, in Milford, Delaware. She was the daughter of Vernon and Betty Van Auken. Kay was also preceded in death by her brother Jamie Van Auken and sister Donna Greene.

As a teenager, Kay was a gifted pianist playing at several local business events and for various civic organizations. She was also a member of the Sussex Central High School marching band. She entered state service in 1981 working several years at the Delaware Department of Labor and Family Court. At the age of thirty, Kay returned to college to pursue a teaching degree. In 1994 she was hired at East Millsboro Elementary School as a second-grade teacher and transitioned to teaching in the computer lab for the last five years of her career. She proudly retired from the State of Delaware in 2011 with a master's degree in education and thirty years of total service.

Kay was a loving and devoted wife to John McClenny for 31 years and stepmother to Kyle and Ashley. She selflessly threw herself into a parenting role for a seven and nine-year-old showing them unconditional love and giving them the structure and stability they needed. Both children are devastated by their mother’s passing and are determined to keep her memory alive with their own children.

She was a devoted friend and very generous with her family. She doted on all of her nieces and loved the big hugs and laugh of her nephew. Except for a brief residence in New Jersey, she spent all of her life in lower Delaware proudly claiming her “local” status. She will be sorely missed by family, friends, and former students.

Kay had five grandchildren whom she loved with all her heart, Lillian Loss, Zoey Loss, Cameron Loss, Jolene Pomerene and Logan McClenny.

Funeral services will be held at Short Funeral Services, 609 East Market Street, Georgetown, DE., 19960. Visitation will be from 11:00 am to 1:00 pm. The Memorial Service will begin at 1:00 pm. The Reverend Jim Van Der Wall will be officiating. Kay will be interned at the Veterans Cemetery in Millsboro Delaware in a private ceremony at a later date.

In lieu of flowers, donations can be made to the Tunnel Cancer Center at the following website:

https://www.beebehealthcare.org/donate