Kathy Brown, daughter of Aline and John Kendrick, left those of us who have loved and cherished her throughout her wonderful life on March 6, 2024. Her time here on earth came to an end at Eisenhower Hospital in Palm Desert, Ca. after a heroic struggle to beat a severe case of pneumonia. Thankfully she had the chance during her days in the ICU to receive abundant calls and messages of love and support from her family and friends. On her final day, Kathy was able to share her love with Jim, her husband of 61 years, her three sons – John, Ted, and Eric, their spouses Tina and Amy, and her grandchildren Jack, Katja, Jason, and Joshua. Jim and her son John were with her in her final moments.
Kathy was born on September 3, 1942, in Los Angeles, California. She graduated from El Rancho High School in Pico Rivera. At USC she majored in Slavic Studies after her first two years at the Walsh School of Foreign Service at Georgetown. She and Jim met at Georgetown in the spring of 1961. After raising her three boys, Kathy, always the doer, earned a master’s degree in In Library Science from San Jose State, and served as a librarian at DeAnza College, Marshall Fundamental School in Pasadena, and Marlborough School in Los Angeles.
Even though she loved her career as an outstanding librarian, Kathy introduced herself first and foremost as a “Mom,” “Grandma,” and partner with Jim. And she was at her best in all three. As the family moved multiple times over the years throughout California, she made sure we all were well cared for: from camping trips to soccer games to schoolwork to everyday activities including yard work and trips to the beach. She was an inspiring role model of family support, steady guidance, and enduring love. Her final Mom grade was an A+, and then some. As Grandma, she especially enjoyed the annual Spring Break trips to different cities in the US with Jack and Katja her grandkids and husband Jim. She loved the trips to Barcelona to spend time with Jason and Joshua and spark their interest in reading and schoolwork. The twins always felt safe and good in her presence. All this while still providing love, guidance and support to Jim throughout his career in education administration and enjoying time with him through travel, the theater, and their children’s sports activities. A couple of more A pluses accompanied by much love for her from her entire family.
In Kathy’s case, the saying that “the good that men do is often interred with their bones” just doesn’t fit. Her love, generosity and moral guidance live on with Jim, her three boys, her four grandkids and all those with whom she became friends over the years. She will always be a part of each of them just as they are a part of her.
Wherever she lived, whether it was Whittier, Corona, Cambria, Lompoc, Palo Alto, Glendale , Novato , Crescent City, or Santa Fe, Kathy quickly made new friends. “If you want a friend, be a friend” was her motto. She loved to cook and have family and friends over for one of her many great meals. She was a culinary wizard and artisan. Through her work in community organizations, church, and friends in P.E.O. she brought joy, happiness, and love to everyone she met. In her last weeks she smiled whenever she heard from many of these people who shared memories of her kindness, sense of humor, and generosity.
After decades in California, she and Jimmoved to Santa Fe, a community she fell in love with, and a place where she made many new and close friends. Drawn by the city’s cultural offerings and natural beauty, she treasured and supported the opera and its world class programs. And she loved all kinds of music from The Talking Heads (she played their song “Life During Wartime” in the intensive care unit) to Linda Ronstadt, from Cyndi Lauper to Paul Simon. She could even listen to a bit of Led Zeppelin as long as the volume was lower than eleven (Not an easy thing to ask for living with 4 boys/men). She had a wonderful sense of humor and always appreciated a good joke. She was a devoted fan of all things Mel Brooks starting with the 2000 Year Old Man Records, an early favorite shared with Jim and their Georgetown circle of friends. As director Rob Reiner said, if you and others you were with laughed out loud at these records, you all became friends for life, and, indeed, Kathy and Jim did.
Kathy and Jim always travelled together hiking the glaciers of Patagonia, going on safari in Africa, encountering silverback gorillas in Rwanda, exploring Iceland with their son Ted as tour guide, and visiting England, Switzerland, Spain, the Galapagos, Machu Picchu, and the Atacama Desert. “Put your feet in your boots and off you go” was one of her favorite sayings. That said, most of all Kathy loved going with Jim to visit their children and grandchildren in Boulder, Novato, and Spain.
A memorial service will be held for her at one PM on June 29 at St. Bede’s Episcopal Church in Santa Fe. Any contributions in her memory should be sent to the Sisters of Social Service in Los Angeles who support and empower the less fortunate or the Santa Fe P.E.O. which continues the vital mission of supporting the education of young women.
