Kathryn “Kay” Kay Hauge, age 85, of Volga, SD, passed away peacefully on Friday, August 28, 2026 at the age of 85. A Funeral Service will be held at 11:00 am on Friday, September 4, 2026, at Bible Baptist Church in Brookings, SD. Interment will follow at 2:00 pm at the West Norden Cemetery in rural Lake Norden, SD. A Visitation will be held from 5:00 pm to 7:00 pm on Thursday, September 3, 2026, at Eidsness Funeral Home in Brookings, SD.

Kay was born in Mitchell, South Dakota, on September 25, 1940, to Ford and Helen (Larson) Kiner. She graduated from Hayti High School. On August 4, 1962, she married Jerry Hauge. During their eighteen years of marriage, they were blessed with three sons: Joe, Chad, and Jon.

Family was the greatest joy of Kay’s life. She was happiest when she was surrounded by the people she loved, and she took great pride in her children, grandchildren, and great-grandchildren. Some of her most treasured memories came from watching her family play sports, cheering them on from the sidelines, and watching them grow into the wonderful people they became. She loved hearing about their lives and accomplishments and never stopped being proud of them.

Kay spent 36 years working as a librarian at the South Dakota State University Library in Brookings. It was a perfect career for someone who truly loved books. Reading was her favorite pastime, and she was never happier than when she had a good book to read. Her love of reading was a reflection of her quiet, thoughtful nature and her appreciation for learning and the simple pleasures of life.

Kay also found great joy in her church and in the friendships she developed through Bible study and coffee groups. She valued those times of fellowship, conversation, laughter, and sharing life with others.

Above all, Kay was a woman of strong faith. Her love for the Lord was evident in the way she lived her life and in the love she gave to her family. Her faith was not simply something she talked about—it was something she lived and something she passed on to her children and grandchildren. It is perhaps one of the greatest gifts she leaves behind.

Kay is survived by her three sons, Joe (Shirley) Hauge of Rapid City, SD; Chad Hauge of Brookings, SD; and Jon (Lea) Hauge of Volga, SD. She is also survived by her grandchildren, Taylor (Lyndsay) Hauge of Sioux Falls, SD; Cole (Sarah) Hauge of Brookings, SD; Michael Hauge of Rapid City, SD; Kennedy (Gyu) Hauge of Seoul, South Korea; and Haydyn (Kadin) Hauge of Volga, SD; great-grandchildren Collins and Sutton Hauge of Brookings, SD; and her brother, George Kiner of Volga, SD.

She was preceded in death by her parents, Ford and Helen Kiner, and her brother, Charles Joe Kiner.

She loved her family deeply, she loved the Lord faithfully, and she lived a life that made a lasting difference in the people she loved.