Kay Hirsig Picard dies in Lander after brief illness

Kay (Hirsig) Picard passed away February 19, 2026 in Lander, WY after a brief illness, the Davis Funeral Home obituary says. A memorial service will be held March 23, 2026 at 11:00 a.m. at St. Matthew’s Cathedral in Laramie, and funeral services are being provided by Davis Funeral Home at 2203 W. Main St., Riverton, WY 82501.

Born July 29, 1933 in Grand Forks, North Dakota, Picard grew up in Cheyenne with her parents Marian (Severson) and Charles W. Hirsig II. The obituary records that “She spoke fondly of an idyllic childhood venturing off with friends, cousins and her pony and cart,” and that there were “many cherished stories of high school adventures with good friends that she remained close with for life.”

Picard’s decades of volunteer service anchored her to Laramie institutions. “Kay served on the Altar Guild of St. Matthew’s Cathedral for over thirty years,” the obituary notes, and she also “volunteered as a docent at the Laramie Plains Museum.” She was a life member of the UW Alumni Association and “an avid UW Cowboy Football and Basketball fan,” and with her family she supported the Cowboy Joe Club Steer-a-Year program. The notice further records her as “a 50-year member of P.E.O. Chapter W.”

Family and home life threaded through Picard’s later years. She moved to the ranch in Shoshoni in 2015 and, while “missing her many friends in Laramie she was able to spend quality time with her daughter, son-in-law and grandkids.” Survivors listed include daughter Lindy (Tom) Linn of Shoshoni and son David (Annemarie) Picard of Cheyenne; grandchildren Justin Linn and Megan Linn Antone (Drew) of Shoshoni, Jacy Rudloff of Cheyenne and Vincent B. Picard of College Station, TX; and one great-grandson, Blaze Antone. The obituary states that “She was preceded in death by her husband Vincent Verl Picard (2004), parents and brother Jim.”

Picard’s obituary preserves personal wishes and community directions. “Kay’s wish was to be cremated and her ashes spread at the 2B Ranch on Lysite Mountain,” the notice says. It also suggests that “Friends wishing to make donations are encouraged to support their local pioneer museum, the Old West Museum in Cheyenne or your local animal shelter.” The Davis Funeral Home posting serving as the family notice provides the memorial logistics for the March 23 service at St. Matthew’s Cathedral.

Public condolences have begun to appear on the memorial page, including a post from The McCoys on March 3: “Kay was a wonderful person to visit with and knew her and Verl well after the older Picard's passed. Always was a pleasure to see her at the 2B. We will miss her and our thoughts and prayers go to the children.” Kay Picard’s life, recorded by family and the funeral home, leaves a record of long civic engagement in Laramie and ties across Cheyenne, Shoshoni and the wider UW community.