Dr. Ira Mark Kay passed away peacefully on Sept. 1. He was 76. Born in Brooklyn, New York to the late Jack and Frances Kay, he was a cherished only child. Dr. Kay completed his undergraduate studies at Brooklyn College before earning his DDS from Temple University in 1971. At the university, he was a proud member of the Alpha Epsilon Pi fraternity. With a profound dedication to his country, he enlisted in the U.S. Army in 1970 and served as a dentist during the Vietnam War.
In Virginia he met the love of his life, Gayle Alvey Kay, of Catharpin. Their journey of over 45 years together was enriched by the joys of parenting their four children, two grandchildren, and countless pets.
In 1992, merging his endless drive to improve with his hobbies, Dr. Kay constructed the world’s first heads-up display gun-sight using dental materials. This invention propelled the success of his company, C-MORE Systems, with its optics being heralded in numerous championships. Earning him the title “Grandfather of Red-Dot Sights.”
Dr. Kay is survived by his wife Gayle Kay, son Jacob Kay; daughter Rachel Kay Allen and husband Brian Allen, daughter Samantha Kay and husband Dalton Bennett, son Greg McDanolds and wife Tanis McDanolds; granddaughter Frances Kay, and grandson Jack Allen. In lieu of flowers, the family kindly requests donations be made in Dr. Kay’s name to the Pulmonary Fibrosis Foundation.
