Kathleen Anne Kloba

Kathleen Anne Kloba, née Fruth, of Austin, TX, died April 11, 2025 at age 78. Born in Chicago to the late Joseph Aloysius and Rosemary Clare Fruth. Dear wife of Anthony Kloba for 58 years. Loving mother of Anthony (Shelley), Theodore (Diane), Alley (Bill Sepeda) and Nick (Leah Campbell). Proud grandmother of Kate Kloba (Brennan Sands). Dear sister of Joseph Fruth, Deborah (Kenneth) Boyle, E. Anthony (Deborah), and Rosemary (James) Walters; Beloved aunt, great-aunt, and great-grand-aunt of many. Godmother to Rosie, Craig, Elizabeth, and Justin.

Kathy grew up in Hickory Hills, IL, and from childhood was never without a book: She read fiction, biographies, natural history, and anything else her substantial curiosity led her to. She attended Mount Assisi Academy and received a full-tuition scholarship to DePaul University, starting her freshman year at just 16. Kathy and Tony met in 1961 and their love story grew around their shared curiosity, visiting museums and other cultural attractions. They married in 1966 and their honeymoon trip became the first adventure of many together as they drove to Clemson, SC where Tony attended graduate school. After returning to the Chicago area, they raised their family in Lombard, Elmhurst, and other suburbs. Together, they instilled in all their children their seeking spirit and love of learning.

They hosted countless holidays, birthdays, and other special occasions together. Kathy artfully decorated cakes depicting whatever was the latest interest of the birthday child, from dinosaurs to robots. Christmas always came with a huge array of her cookies, including some of her own inventions.

Kathy and Tony relocated to Austin in 1999 and from there hosted many out-of-town visitors getting their first glimpse of the Texas Hill Country. Shortly after arriving in Austin, Kathy began volunteering with the Far Northwest Caregivers, driving senior clients to appointments, activities, and shopping. She also supported her new neighbors through the Austin Empty Bowl Project, bidding in its silent auction each year and taking home ceramic bowls decorated by celebrities from Robert Duvall to Dolly Parton.

Kathy was a lifelong avid gardener and knew the Latin species name for just about any plant. She was always generous with bulbs, divided plants, seedlings, and cuttings. She shared her gardening expertise freely and recounted her experiences adapting her garden to the Texas heat in her blog The Transplantable Rose. She was a member of the Lilacia Garden Club in Lombard and The Divas of the Dirt in Austin.

Kathy played the piano, sang, and wrote songs from her youth but pursued music with a greater passion after moving to Texas, setting several of her horticulturally-themed poems to songs as the musical Roots in Austin.

She loved films from the golden age of Hollywood through the present and had an encyclopedic knowledge of actors and directors long before online searches were available. She loved getting an insider’s view of the movie business as a member of Austin Film Society.

She shared her family’s interest in Birding and excitedly shared news of each addition to her life list from her backyard feeder and fountain.

To many friends and extended family members, Kathy was known as a genealogist and meticulous chronicler of family histories. She used her skills as a researcher and writer to bring to life the stories of ancestors long gone. This author hopes to have done a tiny bit of justice to her story.

A private cremation service will be held April 14, with a celebration of life for friends and family to be held at a later date.

Memorial donations may be made to Doctors Without Borders.