Kay Lynn Heikes, 55, of Olathe, Kansas, passed away on Tuesday, June 14, 2022. She was born on February 9, 1967 in Hoxie, Kansas to John and Carolyn (King) Eland.

Kay grew up and went to school in Hoxie, graduating from Hoxie High School in 1985. She then attended the University of Kansas where she graduated with a Bachelor of Social Work degree in 1990. She started her work career at The Women’s Shelter in Arlington, Texas, where she was the Children’s Program Director for three years. She married Joe Heikes on June 27, 1992, in Arlington. She returned to the University of Kansas where she completed a Master of Social Work degree in 1994 and a graduate practicum at the prestigious Menninger Clinic which at the time was located in Topeka.

In 1996 Kay had her first son, Wyatt, and chose at that time to set aside her career to dedicate herself to being a full-time mother to Wyatt and to his brothers, Josiah and Cade, who were born in 1998 and 2000. At the time she was working toward her clinical social work license and decided after prayer to set it aside with the promise she felt from the Lord that one day in the future she would pick it back up again. Kay’s heart for the orphan and the underdog led her and Joe to adopt their fourth child, Lulit, from Ethiopia in 2009. In the mid 2010’s Kay was successful in renewing her master’s level social work license and began the arduous journey, essentially starting over, to get her clinical license. She opened her own private social work practice, Heart In Hands, offering services primarily to foster care and adoptive families. In 2020, after a lot of sweat and study, she completed her goal of obtaining her clinical social work license, the goal that she had set aside in faith in 1996.

Above all, Kay had a passionate faith in Jesus Christ that informed and inspired everything she did. Kay was the spiritual visionary for her family, and many have commented that she had an uncanny prophetic gift. She was a reader and true lifetime learner, and so she was extremely well-informed on a broad range of topics. She also loved to travel and enjoyed family vacations, especially to the beach. Life-changing for Kay, and for the whole family, was their trip through Germany, Austria and Ethiopia in 2009 to adopt Lulit. In the last couple of years one of her favorite places was the “30A” area of the Florida panhandle. Kay enriched everyone she came in contact with, serving countless people with her gentle wisdom, deep knowledge, spiritual strength, and compassionate heart.

Kay leaves behind her husband, Joe Heikes, and their children, Wyatt Heikes, Josiah (Dominique) Heikes, Cade (Bella) Heikes, and Lulit Heikes; granddaughter Braelynn Heikes; mother, Carolyn Eland; brothers, Ken Eland, David Eland, and Tod Eland.

She was preceded in death by her father, John Eland.

The family will receive guests for a visitation from 5:00-6:00pm on Monday, June 20, 2022 at LifeMission Church in Olathe, KS, with the funeral service following at 6:00pm.

The family requests that contributions in Kay’s memory be made to the International Missions Board of The Southern Baptist Convention.


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