Kay Loftus, Horry County Board of Education member, dies Monday

Kay Loftus, an Horry County Board of Education member for 14 years, died Monday, leaving a legacy of trust, knowledge and – above all else – compassion, officials said.

Loftus spent most of her 14 years on the Horry County Board of Education ensuring taxpayer money was well spent and teachers felt valued. She pushed to improve student learning and always took the time to make parents proud to send their children to the third-largest school district in South Carolina.

Loftus, 66, died Monday at Grand Strand Medical Center after several months of bad health.

She had missed several board meetings over the past few months due to health problems and had been in the hospital for most of last week.

Board members say Loftus worked to push Horry County Schools into the future and always put school children first.

“Kay Loftus considered herself an educator, not a politician. Her shoes will be very hard to fill when you consider the years of experience that she brought to the school board,” board chairman Joe DeFeo said.

Harvey Eisner, former board member who worked with Loftus for eight years, said he’ll remember her as a conscientious person who always put children first.

“The school district is going to miss Kay because she really represented her district; not only her district, but the whole district,” Eisner said.

Loftus worked with other board members to develop solutions on issues that polarized, including the Personalized Digital Learning initiative and appointment of a new superintendent. She used her time on the board to push for new leadership with the appointment of former superintendent Cindy Elsberry, Eisner said.

Elsberry suddenly resigned in November 2014 with two years left on her contract.

“[Loftus] had this ability to analyze problems and come up with a workable solution, because when you have 12 members on a board, sometimes compromise is the only solution,” Eisner said.

Loftus’ visitation will be from 5 p.m. to 7 p.m. Wednesday at McMillan-Small Funeral Home, 910 67th Avenue North in Myrtle Beach. She will be entombed at Hillcrest Cemetery in Conway following a funeral at 1 p.m. Thursday at McMillan Small, according to the funeral home.

Loftus was elected to the board in November 2002, when she replaced a resigning board member. Loftus served District 4, which includes St. James, Socastee, Myrtle Beach and Carolina Forest.

Her 14 years on the board provided a “base of knowledge” for other board members, including newcomer Holly Heniford. Heniford was elected in November 2014 and only worked with Loftus for about a year, but said she learned plenty from the longtime member.

“She had a really rich history of operations of the school system,” Heniford said. “It was great learning from her.”

Loftus is survived by her husband Gary Loftus, an Horry County Councilman, and two sons Keith and Kyle. Gary and Kay Loftus were married for 44 years. The Loftus couple were well-respected in Horry County and beyond, Heniford said.

“They’ve been married forever – they’re the forever power couple,” Heniford said.

Loftus was involved with the Myrtle Beach Area Hospitality Association, the South Carolina Hotel-Motel Association and the Myrtle Beach Area Chamber of Commerce. Her board of education term was set to expire this year.

The board will appoint a new member to fill Loftus’ seat soon, but the timeline is still unclear, according to district spokeswoman Teal Harding. The board will accept applications from residents in District 4, review those applications, interview and appoint someone until her seat comes up for reelection, Harding said.

Loftus’ term was set to expire in December 2016. For now, friends, family and coworkers will remember Loftus’ constant work to push Horry County Schools into the future.

“She cared about the children, she cared about the teachers, she cared about making HC the No. 1 school district in the state – which was accomplished during her tenure on the school board,” DeFeo said.

This story was originally published February 29, 2016 at 12:11 PM with the headline "Kay Loftus, Horry County Board of Education member, dies Monday."