Kay Broughton, Former Brecksville City Councilwoman, Dies at 89

Kay Broughton, a former Brecksville resident and civic leader, died on March 27.

She was 89.

While she lived in Brecksville from 1957 to 2004, Broughton was remembered as a highly civically engaged resident.

Among other accomplishments, she was the first female president of Brecksville City Council.

Brecksville Mayor Jerry Hruby remembers Broughton serving with “distinction and dedication.”

He fondly remembered her guidance when he took over as mayor more than 26 years ago — as well as “the respect and concern she demonstrated for my brother Jack, both as Mayor and also when he became ill.”

“Kay believed she could make a difference by being involved in our city,” said Mayor Jerry Hruby. “From the day she moved to Brecksville, she became involved and served in many capacities.”

Broughton also served on the boards of the Brecksville Little Theater, the Brecksville Historical Society, as a trustee of the Brecksville Fine Arts Council and president of the Brecksville-Broadview Heights PTA.

“She loved Brecksville and demonstrated it by her involvement and volunteerism,” Hruby said. “We will all miss her.”

Broughton was appointed to fill a vacancy on Brecksville’s City Council in 1974. The following year, she was elected to a seat on the council, before winning subsequent elections until she retired at the end of 1993.

In her role on council, she was instrumental in establishing Brecksville’s Human Services Department and Senior Center. In 2006, the city named the Courtyard of the Brecksville Human Services Center in her honor.

Broughton and her late husband, Steve, lived in Brecksville from 1957 to 2004.

Prior to coming to Brecksville, she was an academic standout. 1946, she was the first female “day student” to graduate from the School of Technology at City College of New York.  In 1950, a year after beginning her Masters degree in Industrial Engineering at Columbia University, she helped launch the Society of Women Engineers.

That organization now has nearly 20,000 members.

Broughton met her husband, Steve, at Columbia University. They were married in 1950.

After 47 years in Brecksville, Broughton and her husband moved to the Westminster Village North retirement community in Indianapolis in 2004.

Steve died later that year.

Broughton is survived by her four children, John E. (Joan) Broughton of Windsor, California; Patricia A. Broughton of Evanston, Illinois; Daniel J. Broughton (Kim DeLong) of Chicago, Illinois; and Robert W. (Chris) Broughton of Indianapolis; six grandchildren; and one great-grandchild.

A memorial service will take place at Westminster Village North in Indianapolis at 2 p.m. April 27. Those who knew her are encouraged to share memories with the family at http://www.flannerbuchanan.com.

Condolences can also be sent directly to either Patricia or Robert.

In lieu of flowers, memorial contributions may be made to Habitat for Humanity or to the Nature Conservancy, two of the Broughtons’ favorite charities.