Kathleen Dabney died peacefully at her home in Brownwood on September 28, 2011. Funeral services will be held at 2:00pm, Monday, October 3, 2011 in the Davis-Morris Funeral Home Chapel. Burial will follow in Greenleaf Cemetery. Visitation is scheduled for 1:00pm until 2:00pm, Monday, October 3, 2011, at Davis-Morris Funeral Home, prior to the funeral services.
Kathleen was an actress of enormous talent whose unrestrained creativity often blurred the lines separating the worlds of reality and theater. She was a proud daughter of Texas, but she also established roots in the high and low theaters of New York, which molded her art and refined her edge.
Kathleen was the daughter of Blanche Dabney Johnson and J. Edward Johnson. She was born in Brownwood on November 10, 1942, but moved with her family to Dallas at the age of 6. She graduated from Woodrow Wilson High School in Dallas, Stephens College in Columbia, Missouri, and received a Masters Degree in Theater from the University of Mississippi.
Kathleen loved music, animals, and underdogs. She could be both a staunch ally and an unrelenting adversary, and could play both roles seamlessly at the same time. She was a natural star whose brilliance propelled her at an early age to Broadway, where she prospered until the onset of the devastating illness which was to become her constant companion until death. She loved rock and roll, and was a friend of many in the entertainment industry. She did not own a television or a car, arrived at her daily destinations on foot, was a cancer survivor, and listened to the Texas Rangers on her radio at night.
She is survived by her sister Elizabeth, brothers Mitchell and Ed, nephews Edward, Jack, and Philip, many cousins, her former husband Fred Thomas, and a host of friends of Bill W.
The family suggests that memorials in her name be made to the First United Methodist Church of Brownwood, or to a charity of their choice.
The family wishes to thank Christine Rose for her loving support and compassionate care during Kathleen’s illness.
Kathleen’s life was a gift from God. She was a servant of the Lord to the very best of her ability. She was always on stage, even when she wasn’t. Her light shined through the ravages of time, her spirit was not tamed by circumstance or misfortune, and her memory will be treasured forever by those who know that the world will be a lot less interesting without her in it. May God in His tender love have mercy on the soul of His child.
