Kathleen Lenore "Kay" Field

Kathleen Lenore “Kay” (Shahan) Field, of LaBelle, Missouri, formerly of Hurdland, passed away on the morning of March 8, 2026, at LaBelle Manor.

Born December 3, 1930, in Brashear, Missouri, to Robert E. and Mildred H. (Lockett) Shahan, Kay grew up in Brashear and moved with her family in 1946 to a farm just west of Hurdland. She graduated as valedictorian of Hurdland High School in 1948, earned a diploma in nursing from Missouri Methodist Hospital School of Nursing, and went on to receive a Bachelor of Science in Nursing from the University of Missouri and a Master of Science in Nursing from Washington University. She later completed coursework toward a PhD at Georgia State University.

Kay devoted her professional life to nursing education. She taught at Missouri Methodist Hospital School of Nursing, Lutheran Hospital School of Nursing, St. Louis University, and Emory University in Atlanta, where she served as Associate Professor until her retirement in 1987. She met her husband, Donald Earl Field, at St. John Methodist Church in St. Louis through their shared involvement in adult Sunday School and service to others. They married on September 1, 1961, and enjoyed many years together camping, dancing, and cherishing time with Don’s children and grandchildren.

After retiring, Kay and Don returned to rural Missouri, first to Brashear and later to Hurdland. In 1990 she opened Patchwork Too Crafts and remained active in her community, serving as Mayor of Hurdland from 1998 to 2002. She was a longtime member of Faith United Methodist Church in Kirksville, where she taught Sunday School, participated in United Methodist Women, and held leadership roles at the district level. An accomplished quilter and needleworker, she found joy in her crafts, reading, and the friendships she formed through the Hands of Friendship Quilt Guild and other organizations.

Kay was preceded in death by her husband, Donald Earl Field; stepson Donald Field; sisters Helen Piltz and LeeAnna Stokes; and brothers Joe and Jim Shahan. She is survived by her sisters Mary Jane Brue and Alice Grondin; brothers Bill Shahan and Tim Shahan; stepchildren Don “Little Don” Evan Field and his children Michael and Marlene, and Robin (Field) Turner and her husband Rob and their daughter Heather; and many nieces and nephews.