Kathryn Bjella Carruthers

Kathryn Bjella Carruthers could light up any room! She didn't just walk into a room, she burst in with glee; all smiles with a dance or a new joke to tell. Her sharp wit and adventurous spirit were no match for her parents, Bettye and HW Biella. She could charm her way out of any shenanigan. Her siblings Margaret, Susan, Harold, and Mary Jo used to watch in amazement as she'd pursue their father around the house, giggling, smiling and pleading until he gave in to her. She drove her mother up the wall with her driving. When teaching Kathy to drive she once cried out in fear "can’t you just drive in a straight LINE"!!! Kathy never did do anything in a straight line. She lived her life the same way she learned to drive. Sometimes it was smooth & sometimes it was bumpy, but she went her own true way. She was born Oct 22, 1952, in Mobile Alabama and grew up in Corpus Christi Texas before moving to Austin.

Although her first love was chocolate, there she met George Allan Carruthers. He didn't stand a chance when she flashed her baby blues, and he heard her contagious laughter. He called her his little angel, and they married on Dec. 20, 1979. Kathy simply adored Al and was a devoted and protective mother to the girls: Andrea, Mary Jo, and Cindy. She would turn the heater on full blast in 100-degree weather when giving her babies a bath and then dry them off with warm towels and Q tips all the while sweating and singing silly songs. Kathy was loving, generous and eager to please, but also a stubborn force to be reckoned with and gave her opinion freely. She stood up for herself and for her family and was fiercely loyal to everyone she loved. Music, reading, and Dr. Pepper were her other loves, as well as her 10 grandchildren. She had an uncanny ability to find merriment in her work, daily activities and mundane chores no matter how tedious. She was employed by Southwestern Bell for 19 years after graduating from Ray High School in Corpus Christi. Kathy excelled in school without trying, sang her heart out in the choir and her vivid imagination was a delight to her English teachers. She could spell any word at any time, give you all the information you could possibly ever need about pharmaceuticals and would burst into her rendition of Hotel California at the drop of a hat. With her fun-loving personality and joyous banter, she never met a stranger, and would have them rolling with laughter in no time. Kathy found humor and strength during her long illness as well and tried to find the sunny side to most of life's challenges. When Al retired, they moved to Bandera Texas, and that is where the Lord called her home. On July 3, 2023, Jesus gave her peace and took her light to heaven. She is now with her parents, dancing a jig, singing a song, and entertaining the angels with her own special kind of loving hijinks.

There will never be another girl quite like Kathy, she was truly one of a kind. Never to be forgotten....and will be forever missed.