Kathryn Rhea (McElwaine) Alewine

Rev. Kathryn Rhea (McElwaine) Alewine, from Galveston, Texas, passed away on Monday, January 15, 2024: MLK Day. Kay was a great light and an advocate for those who suffered from affliction, tragedy, and disability through her love, ministry, and teaching over the long and fruitful span of her 83 years of life on this earth. Thus, it is also with ineffable joy that we exclaim Kay is now free from her health conditions and singing with the angels in the presence of the Most High!  

A lifelong overachiever with unbounded energy and electric enthusiasm, Kay was an early childhood teacher and a classically trained soprano (lyric spinto) at the University of Miami.  She was also a missionary and university educator to northern China, teaching English at Jilin University in the mid-1980s, living in community and working closely in the lives of the many people she encountered who were curious about her faith and drawn to her encouraging spirit as she shared their hardships. Kay also toured as a missionary in Taiwan via Nora Lam Ministries and served as a music missionary to Russia & Kiev via Marilyn Hickey. 

As an educator and administrator, Kay served as a Catholic school principal at Our Lady of Fatima in Texas City, where she helped bring about new growth in the school curriculum and significantly expanded the school’s enrollment, adding new grades. Kay believed very strongly that all children were gifted. 

She also became a United Methodist pastor and served at several churches in the Texas Annual Conference in the Galveston/Houston area and in East Texas. She was also a choir director, Bible teacher, praise band leader, keyboardist, prayer warrior, and a friend to the afflicted and those burdened by suffering and sorrow. She was an inspiration to many people and sang for two U.S. presidents (Carter & Reagan), but did not live for career, rather she opted for ministry to the Lord and His people, wherever and whoever they were! Baruch HaShem blessed be the Name. Yeshua, Jesus: The Resurrection and the Life!  

Kay was born in August of 1940, to James McElwaine and Kathryn Phillips and is survived by her eldest son, Alan Alewine and his wife, Hollisa Alewine; Kay’s youngest son, Kenneth Alewine; her two daughters, Linda Loyd and Theresa Alewine; her brother, Jim McElwaine and his wife, Theresa McElwaine; Kay’s nephew, Gabriel McElwaine.; her grand nieces, Fallon Grace and Charlotte Avery; and her grandnephew, Gavin Luke 

An all-music memorial service is planned for Kay and will be held on Saturday, March 16, 2024, at 11:00 a.m. at Emken Linton Funeral Home in Texas City. A visitation will begin at 10:30 a.m. Memorials may be sent to the funeral home at 5100 Emmett F. Lowry Expressway, Texas City, TX 77591.