Kay Sovran was born and raised in Decorah and was of Norwegian parentage.
Her parents were Lars and Sylvia Seim.
From a young age, she studied piano, and became an accomplished pianist.
In her youth, she and her sister Pauline performed at weddings and funerals in Decorah, with Pauline Seim as singer and Kay Seim as organ accompanist.
She attended Luther College, earning a bachelor's degree with specialization in music and Eng-lish in 1944.
She taught high school music in Minnesota for several years, and elementary school in Califor-nia for one year.
She then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., earning a master's degree in music, with a specialization in piano.
It was there that she met her future husband, Gino, who was earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering.
At the completion of their studies in 1949, they married at Decorah Lutheran Church and moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where Gino Sovran taught mechanical engineering for five years at the university.
He also continued his graduate work at the doctorate level, and the family then moved to the Royal Oak-Birmingham, Mich., area in 1954, when Gino Sovran was employed by the General Motors Research Laboratories.
Kay Sovran was active in church music as an organist and choir director, serving at the Episcopal churches of St. Matthew's in St. Paul. Minn.; St. Andrew's in Clawson and St. Stephen's in Troy, both in Michigan.
Music was central to her life, and she had season tickets to the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Opera.
She resumed teaching when her children grew older, and taught elementary school music in Southfield for many years.
She was devoted to the Orff-Schulwerk technique for teaching music to young children, a technique that emphasizes the joy of music by using a simplified scale and requires active participation by all.
She was active in local and national Orff-Schulwerk Associations, participating in local workshops and attending the annual national conventions. She served a term as president of the local association.
She suffered a severe stroke in early May, which was compounded by an existing immune problem that made her susceptible to infections.
Kathryn (Seim) Sovran was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Ruth Steneroden and Pauline Seim of St. Paul.
Her parents were Lars and Sylvia Seim.
From a young age, she studied piano, and became an accomplished pianist.
In her youth, she and her sister Pauline performed at weddings and funerals in Decorah, with Pauline Seim as singer and Kay Seim as organ accompanist.
She attended Luther College, earning a bachelor's degree with specialization in music and Eng-lish in 1944.
She taught high school music in Minnesota for several years, and elementary school in Califor-nia for one year.
She then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., earning a master's degree in music, with a specialization in piano.
It was there that she met her future husband, Gino, who was earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering.
At the completion of their studies in 1949, they married at Decorah Lutheran Church and moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where Gino Sovran taught mechanical engineering for five years at the university.
He also continued his graduate work at the doctorate level, and the family then moved to the Royal Oak-Birmingham, Mich., area in 1954, when Gino Sovran was employed by the General Motors Research Laboratories.
Kay Sovran was active in church music as an organist and choir director, serving at the Episcopal churches of St. Matthew's in St. Paul. Minn.; St. Andrew's in Clawson and St. Stephen's in Troy, both in Michigan.
Music was central to her life, and she had season tickets to the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Opera.
She resumed teaching when her children grew older, and taught elementary school music in Southfield for many years.
She was devoted to the Orff-Schulwerk technique for teaching music to young children, a technique that emphasizes the joy of music by using a simplified scale and requires active participation by all.
She was active in local and national Orff-Schulwerk Associations, participating in local workshops and attending the annual national conventions. She served a term as president of the local association.
She suffered a severe stroke in early May, which was compounded by an existing immune problem that made her susceptible to infections.
Kathryn (Seim) Sovran was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Ruth Steneroden and Pauline Seim of St. Paul.
Kay Sovran was born and raised in Decorah and was of Norwegian parentage.
Her parents were Lars and Sylvia Seim.
From a young age, she studied piano, and became an accomplished pianist.
In her youth, she and her sister Pauline performed at weddings and funerals in Decorah, with Pauline Seim as singer and Kay Seim as organ accompanist.
She attended Luther College, earning a bachelor's degree with specialization in music and Eng-lish in 1944.
She taught high school music in Minnesota for several years, and elementary school in Califor-nia for one year.
She then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., earning a master's degree in music, with a specialization in piano.
It was there that she met her future husband, Gino, who was earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering.
At the completion of their studies in 1949, they married at Decorah Lutheran Church and moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where Gino Sovran taught mechanical engineering for five years at the university.
He also continued his graduate work at the doctorate level, and the family then moved to the Royal Oak-Birmingham, Mich., area in 1954, when Gino Sovran was employed by the General Motors Research Laboratories.
Kay Sovran was active in church music as an organist and choir director, serving at the Episcopal churches of St. Matthew's in St. Paul. Minn.; St. Andrew's in Clawson and St. Stephen's in Troy, both in Michigan.
Music was central to her life, and she had season tickets to the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Opera.
She resumed teaching when her children grew older, and taught elementary school music in Southfield for many years.
She was devoted to the Orff-Schulwerk technique for teaching music to young children, a technique that emphasizes the joy of music by using a simplified scale and requires active participation by all.
She was active in local and national Orff-Schulwerk Associations, participating in local workshops and attending the annual national conventions. She served a term as president of the local association.
She suffered a severe stroke in early May, which was compounded by an existing immune problem that made her susceptible to infections.
Kathryn (Seim) Sovran was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Ruth Steneroden and Pauline Seim of St. Paul.
Her parents were Lars and Sylvia Seim.
From a young age, she studied piano, and became an accomplished pianist.
In her youth, she and her sister Pauline performed at weddings and funerals in Decorah, with Pauline Seim as singer and Kay Seim as organ accompanist.
She attended Luther College, earning a bachelor's degree with specialization in music and Eng-lish in 1944.
She taught high school music in Minnesota for several years, and elementary school in Califor-nia for one year.
She then attended Northwestern University in Evanston, Ill., earning a master's degree in music, with a specialization in piano.
It was there that she met her future husband, Gino, who was earning a master's degree in mechanical engineering.
At the completion of their studies in 1949, they married at Decorah Lutheran Church and moved to the Twin Cities in Minnesota, where Gino Sovran taught mechanical engineering for five years at the university.
He also continued his graduate work at the doctorate level, and the family then moved to the Royal Oak-Birmingham, Mich., area in 1954, when Gino Sovran was employed by the General Motors Research Laboratories.
Kay Sovran was active in church music as an organist and choir director, serving at the Episcopal churches of St. Matthew's in St. Paul. Minn.; St. Andrew's in Clawson and St. Stephen's in Troy, both in Michigan.
Music was central to her life, and she had season tickets to the Detroit Symphony and the Detroit Opera.
She resumed teaching when her children grew older, and taught elementary school music in Southfield for many years.
She was devoted to the Orff-Schulwerk technique for teaching music to young children, a technique that emphasizes the joy of music by using a simplified scale and requires active participation by all.
She was active in local and national Orff-Schulwerk Associations, participating in local workshops and attending the annual national conventions. She served a term as president of the local association.
She suffered a severe stroke in early May, which was compounded by an existing immune problem that made her susceptible to infections.
Kathryn (Seim) Sovran was preceded in death by her parents and her sisters Ruth Steneroden and Pauline Seim of St. Paul.
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