Kay Halloin

Kay C. Halloin, 83, of Eau Claire passed away peacefully at home on Monday, April 21, 2025.  She was devoted to her friends and family and will be greatly missed.

Kay was born in Wisconsin Rapids, Wisconsin on June 2, 1941, the only child of Sidney G. Coleman and Irene (Timm) Coleman.  She graduated from Wisconsin Rapids Lincoln High School and went on to the University of Wisconsin, Madison where she met Robert Halloin, the love of her life who she married on January 27, 1962.  As he had been for 63 years, Bob was at her side when she passed away.        

Her father Sidney was English.  He met and married Kay’s mother Irene in Milwaukee, Wisconsin in October, 1932 and the couple lived in his hometown of Birmingham, England, Windsor, Canada and Milwaukee before they settled down literally within sight of the home where Irene grew up as a child in Wisconsin Rapids.  Kay was born soon afterward.   

Although she was an only child, her childhood in Wisconsin Rapids was filled with family and friends.  When she was a girl, Kay often performed with her father Sidney, a gifted vocalist who had a program on the local radio station and sang at various community events.  She also played piano during services at the Moravian Church in Wisconsin Rapids and several smaller Moravian churches in central Wisconsin.   

Kay studied speech and theatre at the University of Wisconsin where, among other things, she also coached and judged high school forensics.  Kay and Bob moved to Eau Claire in 1974where they started several businesses.  Kay was a co-owner and worked in the principal family business, Landmark Company,for many years before she retired in 2003.  Kay also served as the Executive Director of the Visiting Nurse Association of Eau Claire in the 1980s and before that owned and operated Charles Studio, a popular modern décor and decorative accessories shop.  

Encouraging, kind, and generous, Kay was the grandmother we all wished we had.  Four of her five grandchildren grew up here in Eau Claire, and she was a constant presence in their lives.  Later, she and Bob also lived in Milwaukee to be closer to their fifth grandchild.   She loved them all fiercely.   So much so that she embraced technology early on.  The photos she took on her phone were not always in focus, but she took so many of them and sent so many texts with them she was never far away.  “I just heard, and I am so proud of you!” began more than one of her messages.  

Kay and Bob were very active in Chapel Heights United Methodist Church through the 1980s, worshipping at Lake Street United Methodist Church in later years.

She is survived by her husband Bob; her two sons Jeff, (Karla), and Scott (Marietta); and five grandchildren Michael, Steven, Tom, Anne (Sam) and Chelsea.  

In lieu of flowers, please consider a donation in Kay's name to The Chippewa Valley Free Clinic or The Community Table.

A memorial service for Kay will take place at 11:00 a.m. on May 5th, 2025 at Chapel Heights United Methodist Church in Eau Claire. Visitation will be at the church at 10:00 a.m.

To share your memories and condolences, please visit online at www.hulkefamilyfh.com.

Hulke Family Funeral Home and Cremation Services, 3209 Rudolph Road, Eau Claire, WI 54701 is assisting the family with the arrangements.  

To send flowers to the family or plant a tree in memory of Kay Halloin, please visit our floral store.