Catherine Moore Day

1953 - 2026

Catherine Moore Day, "Katie," died on Tuesday, August 4, 2026, at Avalon Memory Care in St. Louis County, in hospice. She was 73.

Katie was born Catherine Moore Agnew on May 19, 1953, at St. Mary's Hospital in St. Louis, the daughter of Verna Sylvia Moore and Daniel Franklin Agnew Jr. She graduated from St. Thomas Aquinas High School in Florissant.

She was an operating-room nurse for over forty years, across numerous specialties, and she was proud of her profession and of her commitment to helping others. She first qualified as a practical nurse at St. Mary's School of Practical Nursing on September 1, 1972, at nineteen, in the same hospital where she had been born. Later she earned her Bachelor of Science in Nursing from Saint Louis University on January 16, 1981. She learned the operating room at the VA hospital in Cleveland, caring for veterans, and worked at several hospitals over the years. Katie held special affection for her colleagues at DePaul and at St. Luke's, where she finished her career. She was meticulous, industrious, and never confused what was right with what was expedient.

She carried that work abroad as well, working with Surgical Outreach for the Americas, which gave people in Central America hernia operations they could not otherwise have had. She traveled widely for pleasure too: the great monuments of the United States, and Spain, Greece, the Caribbean, Latin America, and Iran.

She married Shahriar Khaksari and they had two sons, Areman and Esmaeil. The family lived in St. Louis, later Cleveland, and finally Boston, before the marriage ended in 1990. Katie returned to St. Louis and stayed, living in Bridgeton, Wildwood, Ballwin and Manchester.

On December 28, 1996 she married Taylor Day. Taylor was the love of her life; for eleven years they laughed, bickered, traveled, and were very happy. Taylor died in February of 2008, and Katie did not marry again.

Katie lived with and loved Areman, who died at age 36, supporting him without fail. And in her later years her companion was Dale Yankee, who gave her comfort and support.

Katie was fierce. She did not suffer liars or cheaters. She was generous with her kindness. She loved movies and books. She loved a good meal, Italian above all. She loved flowers and gardening, feeding hummingbirds, and watching whatever wildlife came through the yard. She loved the perfectly aligned track marks of a freshly vacuumed rug. With her sister Patty she kept the family's memory; she would tell you exactly what happened, and her sister Pat would say, "well, actually..."

She is survived by her son, Esmaeil Khaksari, of Austin, Texas; her sister, Patricia "Pat" Davis; her brother, James "Jim" Agnew; and many nieces, nephews, cousins and friends. She was preceded in death by her husband, Taylor Day; her son, Areman James Khaksari; her brother, Daniel F. Agnew; and her parents.

In her last week family sat vigil with her, and told stories, and cried, and spoke soft and wonderful things. She died in peace and was attended in her final moments.