Obituary of Kathleen Berniece Fairbrother

Kathleen Berniece (Brown) Fairbrother, 08/24/1929-07/20/2015, age 85, of Bloomington, passed away peacefully after 15 challenging years living with Alzheimer's. Born to Stephen Leo and Ann Veronica (Klug) Brown, she married her high school sweetheart, Vern Jay Fairbrother (d. 12/19/14) in 1951. They were married for 63 years. Kathleen was an avid learner and intrepid traveler. She was a wonderful amateur photographer and her zest for life, art, music, opera, theater and nature were enjoyed until 2 months before she passed. She learned to play tennis at 40, took a multitude of classes at Normandale Community College and St. Catherine University into her 70s, was president of her Toastmasters club, volunteered to help dyslexic children learn to read, and she loved to sing, dance, and sew. She worked part-time at Gabbert's for 25 years until she retired at 75. She traveled and photographed dozens of countries throughout the world. She loved learning about new cultures and used her great smile to break language barriers. She is survived by daughters Carol Fairbrother, Diane Miller (Kevin Kast), Eileen Fairbrother (Joel Pitman), Connie Roles and Paula Fairbrother, 8 grandchildren, and 10 great-grandchildren. Funeral services and Celebration of Life will be in October 2015. Kathleen and Vern will be interred together at Fort Snelling Cemetery. Memorials preferred to the Alzheimer's Association, PBS, or your local theater. For more information on the funeral and sending remembrances for the celebration in October, email: KathleenCelebration@yahoo.com