Esther Kay Marrom

The story of Esther in the Old Testament was a favorite of mine growing up.  What a pleasant coincidence that my future mother-in-law should have the name of one of my earliest heroines.  Like Esther in the Bible, my mother-in-law was a beautiful, gracious woman.  She was known as Kay but was named after her grandmother whom she never had the opportunity to meet.

It seemed fitting to spotlight Kay in my blog as the Jewish holiday of Purim was celebrated this past weekend.  Purim celebrates the courage of Esther in saving her people from extermination when they lived in Persia. Purim is one of the most joyous and fun holidays on the Jewish calendar.  Celebrations include costume parties, drinking and eating fruit-filled triangular cookies called hamentaschen which represent Haman's three-cornered hat.

For those not familiar with the story, Esther was selected to become a member of the king's harem because of her beauty and was eventually selected by the king to become his queen.  A plot devised by a vengeful advisor to the King would destroy all the Jews living in Persia to satisfy his vengeance on Esther's cousin who would not bow down to him.  In a courageous act to save her people, Esther goes to the King without being summoned to plead for her people.  The penalty for going before the king without being summoned was death.  The king welcomed her and upon hearing of Haman's plot turned the tables and hanged Haman on the gallows that had been prepared for Esther's cousin.

The story has been made into several films.  I remember seeing Esther and the King with Richard Egan and Joan Collins as a young teenager.

Alice on left and Kay in their
Preston, Idaho backyard

Now, back to Kay.  Esther Kay Marrom was born on February 14, 1915 in Preston, Idaho.  Being just two years younger than her sister Alice, they spent many hours together as young girls and again later in their lives.

Kay was a very quiet person who appreciated beauty.  She was always immaculate and very creative in making her home a place of beauty inside and out.  She had a natural knack for putting colors and objects together.  This knack helped her in her various retail jobs in women's wear in various local department stores.  She also joined me in taking an interior decorating class to help me with a home remodeling project.

Kay met her future husband, Leland Kammerman while working in a retail store in Salt Lake.  They were married April 9, 1936 in Morgan, Utah.  Known as Red for the color of his hair, her husband passed away in 1976.  Kay passed away June 4, 1998.

Newlyweds Kay and Red Kammerman