It is with heavy hearts that we announce the passing of Phyllis Kay McNatt Callahan,70, of Decatur, Alabama, on July 11, 2026. Kay was surrounded by her family and was loved tremendously while she passed peacefully.
Our Mama and Nana Kay was known for her notorious laugh and beautiful smile. She was born on April 15, 1956, to Boyd and Flora McNatt and grew up in Elkmont, Alabama on McNatt Farms, alongside her 7 siblings. She was the baby of the family, very cherished and affectionately known as ‘Kay Kay’ to them. She raised us, her 3 children with our late father, (Billy) Johnny William Callahan Jr., with so much love and pride and always showed up for us no matter what. We moved to Tennessee in 1989 and saw her tend her garden and begin a small farm. She enjoyed sewing and crafts and created a loving home for her family. Mama always cooked the best meals and took pride in our Sunday dinners. She had a beautiful voice and loved to sing and listen to music. Mama cheered us on through school, sports and any other ventures we took. She always worked hard and loved hard. She was the light of our lives.
She became widowed in 1995 and later met her ‘special friend,’ Mr. Raymond Ayre (Raymie) of Trimdon Village, England. She traveled across the world and truly had the time of her life, making friends and creating memories. She had so many stories to share with us and we would all light up when she came home and brought treats and pictures. She always made a point to be home for Christmas because it meant a lot to her to be surrounded by all her children, grandchildren and great grandchildren. She always brought home a bit of England with her, and she loved Raymond’s 2 daughters, grandchildren and her friends across the ocean.
Mama was always ready to go shopping and loved to spoil us however she could, including her beloved dog, Emma. She loved her giant collection of purses and shoes and was known as a ‘very classy lady.’ Her sense of humor and silly sayings kept us in stitches. She enjoyed having ‘sister days’ with her precious sisters.
We send her off to heaven knowing she lived a life of the purest love and laughs. We only regret that we couldn’t keep her a little longer. Her passing is deeply felt here, as well as Trimdon Village. We will carry on her legacy through our own children and grandchildren, as she loved with a generous heart and never gave up on that.
Kay is preceded in death by her husband, Johnny William Callahan, Jr., her loving partner and special friend, Raymond Ayre, her parents, Walter Boyd McNatt and Flora Mae Vinson McNatt, her brother Dennis Bryant McNatt and her sister, Joyce McNatt Smith.
She is survived by her 3 children, Bethany Kay Feigley (Will Feigley), Amy Joy Callahan (Russell McCarley) and Jeremiah William Callahan (Peggy Callahan),
9 grandchildren, Brittany Yvonne Ray, Michael Blake Hasting (Kinsley Hargrove), Chasity Leigh Ann Shrader (Dale Shrader), Hayden Garrett Hudson (Breanna Hudson), Cacey Jordan Hasting (Ashton Rackley), William Jay Hudson (Hannah Hudson), Austin William Callahan, Paisley Claire Callahan and Kaidence Jewel Callahan, 12 great grandchildren, as well as the daughters of Raymond Ayre, Charlotte Langlands (Darren Langlands) and their children and Nicola Ayre and her children, siblings, Shirley Mitchell (Dwight Mitchell), Dwight McNatt (Carol McNatt), Ted McNatt (Peggy McNatt), Perry McNatt (Debbie McNatt) and Pam Beddingfield, several nieces and nephews and many friends. She also leaves behind her beloved dog, Emma.
Visitation will be held on Tuesday, July 14, 2026 from 11am-2pm at McConnell Funeral Home. A service will he held in her honor at 2pm. Burial to follow at Lentzville Cemetery.
