Kathleen Mary Kirkpatrick

Kathleen Mary “Kathy” Kirkpatrick (née Fleming)  Kathleen Mary “Kathy” Kirkpatrick (née Fleming), age 76, of Keller, Texas,  passed away on August 26, 2026. She was born on October 5, 1949, in St. Louis, Missouri, to Joe and Estelle Fleming. She was united in marriage to Don Kirkpatrick on May 26, 1973.

Kathy is survived by her loving husband of 53 years, Don; her son, Christopher, and his wife, Katie; her beloved grandchildren, Kaitlin, Carter, Claire, and Kaley; her sister, Jan Lee; her sisters-in-law Beverly Fleming, Merilynn (Mitch) Fleming, Pat Fleming, Louise Kirkpatrick, Mary Kirkpatrick, and Mary Ann Luksza; her brothers-in-law Tom Kirkpatrick, Bob Kirkpatrick, and Larry Luksza; and 14 nieces and nephews. In addition to her parents, she was preceded in death by her father-in-law and mother-in-law, George and Mary Kirkpatrick; her brother-in-law Ron Lee; and her brothers Larry, Tom, and Jim Fleming.

Kathy graduated from Ursuline Academy in St. Louis in 1968 and earned a Bachelor of Arts degree in English Literature from Fontbonne College on May 21, 1972. She was a devoted teacher and a steadfast advocate for Catholic education. Remaining true to her Catholic faith, she began her career teaching English grammar and literature at St. Francis of Assisi Catholic School and later at St. Gerard Majella Catholic School, where she served until the birth of her son on September 28, 1979. She then left the classroom to devote herself fully to motherhood.

In 1985, she returned to teaching with the Special School District of St. Louis as a homebound teacher, specializing in English literature at the high school level. After moving to Keller, Texas, in 1998, Kathy became active at St. Elizabeth Ann Seton Catholic Church. When the parish needed a new church, she urged the pastor to include a school as well. While those plans took shape, she helped establish a small private Catholic school in Keller and served as its principal until St. Elizabeth Ann Seton was able to build both a church and a school. Kathy was a private person who never sought recognition and preferred to work for change from behind the scenes. She was a teacher’s teacher—wise, exacting, and generous with what she knew. She loved Shakespeare and man’s best friend.

In lieu of flowers, the family asks that memorial donations be made in Kathy’s name to the ASPCA, The National Kidney Foundation, or the American Heart Association.