Kay Maffley Collins

Kay Maffley was Beany's other best friend, along with Miggs Carmody. Raised by a wealthy but vain and childish mother, the artistic, beautiful and kind Kay fell into a teenage marriage to athlete Joe Collins (the pride of Peachtree, Utah) and soon gave birth to their son, Jodey. Kay died tragically from leukemia when Jodey was just a child, and the sad loss is detailed in the final Beany Malone book, "Come Back, Wherever You Are."

From the Image Cascade Publishing page:

Soft spoken, delicate Kay. Blonde ("taffy-colored hair") and fair and loyal to Beany through thick and thin. Shyly interested in Beany's brother, Johnny. A bit wistful (but never jealous) for the warmth and security of the Malone family. More mature than her own mother, flighty Faye. Very artistic, tender and caring. The artist of most school posters.

"All during Beany's sophomore and. . . . her junior year, at Harkness, she and Kay had shared a locker, confidences, note paper, lunches. They had double-dated on weekends."

". . . Kay, who knew Beany's dreams as well as she knew her own. . ."