Kathleen (Kathy) Anne Johnson Soard

Kathleen Anne Johnson, beloved daughter, wife, mother, and grandmother, was born Friday, February 18, 1944 to Walter Frances Johnson and Colleen Ann O’Connell Johnson of Wichita Falls, Texas. Shortly after her birth, Kathleen’s mother took her to live in Tulsa, Oklahoma, while Walter served his country in the Army in WWII. Kathleen spent the remainder of her childhood in Tulsa where she graduated from Thomas Edison High School in 1961.

Kathleen attended Oklahoma State University 1961-1962 where she majored in business and was an active member of the Kappa Alpha Theta sorority. Enter Sinclair G. Short, a fraternity brother of Don Soard, who began dating Kathleen in 1961. Sinclair took it upon himself to play matchmaker and introduced Don to Kathleen via phone in December 1961. That call Sinclair made became a 2.5-hour phone call and would establish the foundation of who we now know as Kathleen Anne Soard. In January 1962, Kathleen called Don for a math study date at the OSU library. After the 20 minutes of algebra was completed, Kathleen or “Kathy” as we know her, and Don conversed for another 3.5 hours together. It was after those 6 hours of conversation that Don Soard knew he had met “the” young woman he was determined to marry. Don headed back to the fraternity house, woke up Sinclair and made him promise he would serve as best man in Don and Kathleen’s future wedding. Sinclair finally agreed and on Friday, August 31, 1962 he traveled from Chicago to Tulsa and stood beside Don as he married Kathleen Anne Johnson.

Kathy and Don had their first home together in Oklahoma City, Oklahoma. Their first two, of four boys, would be born there. In 1965, the Soards moved to Tulsa where they had their next two sons. Kathy and Don moved to Richardson, Texas in June 1973, and planted their roots. Kathy spent the next years raising her family and then decided to return to college. She graduated from the University of Texas at Dallas in December 1996 with a degree in accounting. After working in several different companies, Kathy started working at Electronic Data Systems (EDS) in Plano, in 1989.

Kathy worked her way up through EDS to become the Worldwide Records Officer of Accounting, where she befriended many from all over the world. After 25 years of service, Kathy retired from Hewlett Packard (formerly EDS) on Thursday, May 28, 2015. She began to enjoy her retirement, cultivating the hobbies and passions she had spent many years on, such as quilting, sewing, travel, Bible Study group, and fellowship with cherished family and friends. Kathy was an active member of Bent Tree Fellowship Church in Plano and enjoyed interior design and placed a priority on her fitness and health. Shortly after a trip to the ER for stroke-like symptoms, on Saturday, February 20, 2016 Kathy was diagnosed with the most aggressive form of brain cancer, glioblastoma multiforme better known as GBM. Kathy spent the next 21 months enduring tumor resection, high-dose radiation, and chemotherapy fighting the battle of a lifetime, all the while embracing her Christian faith and hope. She lost the battle on Tuesday, November 7, 2017 at 6:50am at home while surrounded by her family.

Kathy Soard was survived by her husband of 55 years Don Soard, of Plano, Texas; Son, Michael Shannon Soard and wife Susan, of Belton, Texas and their three children, Alec (24), Emma (21), and Hannah (19) as well as, son Jason Douglas Soard and wife Brooke, of Rockwall, Texas and their son Seth (7). Kathy was preceded in death by her two sons, Kevin Bryon Soard and Aaron Matthew Soard. A memorial service to remember and celebrate Kathy’s life will be held on Saturday, December 2, 2017, 12:00pm at Ted Dickey West funeral home at 8011 Frankford Road, Dallas, Texas 75252. In lieu of flowers, the family requests donations be made to the American Brain Tumor Association (ABTA) in memory of Kathleen Soard. Contact information for ABTA can be found at www.abta.org or by contacting ABTA at 8550 W. Bryn Mar Avenue, Suite 550, Chicago, Illinois 60631.

Arrangements under the direction of Ted Dickey West Funeral Home, Dallas, Texas.