Alfred A. Gay

LEXINGTON- Alfred A. Gay of Lexington, MI, who was a beloved professor at St. Clair County Community College for more than a decade, died suddenly May 9, 2020, after a valiant battle with brain cancer. He was 66. Alfred was born Sept. 10, 1953, in Osnabrueck, Germany, and immigrated as a boy with his mother, Anne, to the United States, settling in the Seattle area. As a young man, he returned to Germany numerous times to visit his extended family and travel throughout Europe. He graduated in 1971 from Cascade High School in Everett, Washington, and went on to receive bachelor and master of fine arts degrees from the University of Washington in Seattle. During college, he took a year off to study at the Goethe Institute in Germany and work at the family inn and bakery in Glandorf. He married his wife, Katherine, in 1975 after meeting her at a Halloween party near the university. He was a clown and she was a cavewoman. He mistakenly called her Karen and she called him Albert for months when they passed on campus until they realized they were soulmates on New Year’s Eve, 1974. They were married for almost 45 years. Alfred studied printmaking in college and owned and operated an art gallery and picture framing business in Seattle before he and his wife moved to Germany in 1987. He worked as a picture framer in Munich until becoming a stay-at-home dad after the birth of their son, Alex, in 1988. They moved that year to central Germany, where Kathy worked for The European Stars and Stripes. Their daughter, Helen, was born in 1990. The family returned to the States in 1996 to pursue job opportunities in the Port Huron area. Shortly after moving to Michigan, Alfred began teaching at SC4. Over the years, he taught German, studio art classes and art history, in addition to working at Proper Framing in Port Huron. He loved art and sharing its wonders, inspiring countless students with his firsthand experiences in Germany and from visiting famous art museums throughout Europe. He was a prolific artist in his own right, specializing in printmaking, drawing and painting. Alfred also was a deeply committed Christian who lived his faith daily, serving as a longtime elder at Faith Lutheran Church in Port Huron. Ever devoted to his family, Alfred made sure every day that they knew he loved them. He also doted on the family’s many rescue pets. He loved good beer, bad jokes, great movies, golf and grilling, as well as working on the family’s pre-Civil War farmhouse, often with his son-in-law, Josh. Alfred spread grace and good humor no matter the circumstances and remained quintessentially himself until the last: radiating kindness, can-do optimism and a certainty that God was right beside him. Alfred is survived by his loving wife, Kathy; children, Alex (Susie) Gay, of Milan, MI, and Helen (Josh) Zoerhof, of Des Plaines, IL; mother, Anne Gay, of Lexington, MI; brother-in-law, Steve Boyer, and sister-in-law, Reri MacLean, of North Bend, WA; and numerous aunts, uncles, cousins and other extended family in Germany, California, Colorado and Washington state. Alfred is preceded in death by his father, Robert Gay. A memorial service will be held 2 PM Saturday, September 25, 2021 at Faith Lutheran Church, 3455 Stone St., Port Huron, Michigan 48060. Visitation will be held 1-2 PM prior to the service. In lieu of flowers, donations may be made to Faith Lutheran Church, or to The Detroit Institute of Arts, at https://www.dia.org/support/donate/tribute-memorial-giving.

Alfred A. Gay

September 10, 1953 - May 9, 2020