Lasting Memories

Kay Daniels
March 7, 1946-Aug. 22, 2026
Lodi, California

Kay Daniels, a well-loved Pleasanton community volunteer who became an entrepreneur with a flair for creating charming interior spaces, passed away on August 22, 2026. Kay was many things in her 80 years, including a loyal friend, graceful “Grammie” and maven with an eye for style and a mouth that loved to move.

Faith was her foundation. Raised Catholic, Kay carried that devotion through childhood, family life, work, illness and loss. In 2011, doctors diagnosed Kay with stage 4 metastatic breast cancer and gave her, on average, three years to live.

Kay’s immediate response became legendary: “Well, obviously, I am not average.”

Over the next 15 years, she proved exactly that.

Kathleen Ann Carney, a fifth-generation Californian, was born on March 7, 1946, in Pittsburg, California. She earned an art degree from Sacramento State, where she also had a life-changing encounter with a young Dave Daniels. They married on September 1, 1968.

They moved to Pleasanton in 1983 to raise their daughters. Kay found joy in volunteering at places such as Hope Hospice, Pleasanton Partnerships in Education and Valley Volunteer Center, not just to benefit her community, but as a source for new friendships.

Her entrepreneurial spark grew into The Elegant Gift Basket, a business Kay founded with friends, and eventually into an interior design career. Over the next 35 years, Kay Daniels Designs blossomed the same way she built relationships: naturally, thoughtfully and through trust. Kay will be remembered for the way she nurtured her deep friendships, which often crossed generational lines.

Kay is survived by her husband of nearly 58 years, Dave Daniels; daughters Tamra McLaughlin and Melissa Fritz; sons-in-law Noel McLaughlin and John Fritz; and granddaughters Ella McLaughlin, Kaylin Fritz and Allison Fritz. Kay was preceded in death by her parents, Barbara and Earl Carney, and sister Susan Bigelow.

Kay’s celebration of life will be held at 10 a.m. on Saturday, September 12, 2026, at St. Augustine Catholic Church, 3999 Bernal Ave., Pleasanton. A reception will follow.

Memorial donations can be made to the Susan G. Komen breast cancer research nonprofit on Melissa’s page at m.teamkomen.org/gytxb.